Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid glutathione in intubated premature infants.

Lower concentrations of uncorrected glutathione in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were found on the first day of life in seven infants who subsequently developed chronic lung disease when compared with 27 infants who did not require supplemental oxygen at 36 weeks' postconceptional age. The concentration of glutathione on the first day was independent of gestational age. These preliminary results suggest that glutathione accumulates in the lung epithelial lining fluid of preterm infants and that a relative deficiency may predispose to lung injury.