title: Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 in normal pregnancy.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) in women with normal pregnancy. A total of 468 pregnant women at various gestational ages and 30 non-pregnant females were recruited in this study. Serum concentration of IGFBP-3 was determined by radioimmunoassay. Maternal serum levels of IGFBP-3 increased as pregnancy progressed. The concentration of IGFBP-3 in pregnancy serum was positively associated with the gestational age. The mean values of circulating IGFBP-3 in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were higher than those in the first trimester of pregnancy and in non-pregnant females. In addition, there was a highly significant correlation between IGFBP-3 and IGF-I in pregnancy serum. We conclude that, during pregnancy, IGFBP-3 appears to be the principal binding protein for circulating IGF-I and may be involved in the regulation of fetal growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Chang-Guang Medical School, Chang-Gung Memorial Hospital, Lin-Kou Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Y K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Soong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012016:Reference Values; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018972:Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I