Correlations between umbilical and maternal serum adiponectin levels and neonatal birthweights.
OBJECTIVE
To measure adiponectin levels in maternal serum and umbilical cord serum at delivery, and examine whether or not there are correlations between adiponectin levels and neonatal birthweights, maternal body weights and body mass indexes.


METHODS
The study included 84 healthy mothers who had given birth to healthy neonates. Adiponectin levels in maternal serum and umbilical cord serum were determined by radioimmunoassay and compared.


RESULTS
The ranges of adiponectin levels for umbilical cord serum and maternal serum were 22.7-78.4 microg/ml and 4.0-43.3 microg/ml, respectively. Umbilical serum adiponectin levels (46.9 +/- 1.2 microg/ml) were significantly higher than maternal serum adiponectin levels (16.1 +/- 0.8 micro g/ml) (p < 0.001). No correlation was found between the adiponectin levels in maternal serum and those in umbilical cord serum (r = 0.158, p = 0.151). Umbilical serum adiponectin levels were significantly correlated with both neonatal birthweights (r = 0.454, p < 0.001) and gestational ages at birth (r = 0.295, p = 0.006), but not with maternal serum adiponectin levels. Maternal serum adiponectin levels were only negatively correlated to maternal weights and body mass index at delivery (r = 0.288, p = 0.008; r = 0.372, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The levels of adiponectin were higher in umbilical cord serum than in maternal serum. Moreover, the adiponectin levels in umbilical cord serum were found to correlate positively with neonatal birthweights. Therefore, fetal adiponectin, not maternal serum adiponectin, may be involved in fetal development during late pregnancy.
Chan
Te-Fu
TF
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. tefu.chan@msa.hinet.net
Yuan
Shyng-Shiou F
SS
Chen
Hung-Sheng
HS
Guu
Chen-Feng
CF
Wu
Lee-Chen
LC
Yeh
Yao-Tsung
YT
Chung
Yueh-Fang
YF
Jong
Shiang-Bin
SB
Su
Jinu-Huang
JH
D052242:Adiponectin; D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011247:Pregnancy; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
D052242:Adiponectin; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D003094:Collagen