Oxygen Use in Neonatal Care: A Two-edged Sword

In the neonatal period, the clinical use of oxygen should be taken into consideration for its beneficial and toxicity effects. Oxygen toxicity is due to the development of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as OH• that is one of the strongest oxidants in nature. Of note, generation of ROS is a normal occurrence in human and it is involved in a myriad of physiological reactions. Anyway an imbalance between production of oxidant species and antioxidant defenses, called oxidative stress, could affect various aspect of organisms' physiology and it could determine pathological consequences to living beings. Neonatal oxidative stress is essentially due to decreased antioxidants, increased ROS, or…