title: Soluble L-selectin (sCD62L) umbilical cord plasma levels increase with gestational age.
abstract: L-Selectin (CD62L) is a leukocyte surface membrane glycoprotein involved in extravasation and homotypic aggregation which is rapidly cleaved off after cellular activation. From culture supernatants and body fluids, soluble L-selectin (sCD62L) has been recovered with its functional activity retained. We devised a sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay for quantitation of sCD62L which was used to measure sCD62L in umbilical cord plasma of 255 human newborns with a gestational age (GA) of 23-43 wk (median 38 wk). sCD62L levels ranged from 1.14-13.8 pmol/mL (median 7.2 pmol/mL) and showed strong correlations with GA (r = 0.71, p < 0.001), birth weight (r = 0.66, p < 0.001), and absolute neutrophil cell counts (ANC) (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) obtained from a peripheral vein within the first 6 h of life (n = 153), whereas there was a weak inverse correlation with absolute normoblast counts (r = -0.27, p < 0.001). In multiple regression analysis, only GA and ANC retained a significant association with sCD62L levels (p < 0.001). Decreased sCD62L levels were found to be associated with multiple gestation (4.8 +/- 2.4 pmol/mL versus 7.7 +/- 2.3 pmol/mL, p < 0.05) also when considering GA and ANC as covariates. In contrast, increased sCD62L levels in infants born from meconium-stained amniotic fluid, and decreased levels in newborns with acute bacterial infection could be fully attributed to differences in GA and ANC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood*; D001724:Birth Weight; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000097:blood*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D019041:L-Selectin / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils; D011247:Pregnancy; D012044:Regression Analysis; D014310:Triplets; D014427:Twins; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D019041:L-Selectin