title: Active and total ghrelin concentrations in the newborn.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ghrelin is a peptide with a potent capacity to release GH and other metabolic activities. An acyl modification is indispensable for biological activity. Acylated and desacylated forms of ghrelin are both present in the blood. No data exist about the ratio between active ghrelin and total ghrelin in the first period of life.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether ghrelin may be involved in physiological roles during fetal life.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ghrelin, growth hormone (GH), and leptin concentrations were measured in cord plasma in 98 newborns of healthy mothers. Acyl-ghrelin and the sum of acylated and desacylated forms of ghrelin (total ghrelin) were measured using specific radioimmunoassays.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acylated ghrelin and total ghrelin did not correlate with birth weight, gestational age, body mass index, head circumference, birth length, leptin or GH in plasma cord blood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The absence of clinically significant correlations between both active and total ghrelin and GH, leptin or anthropometric data does not enable us to ascribe a precise role to ghrelin in prenatal life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Center for Applied Biomedical Research, S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. pira@alma.unibo.it
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirazzoli
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lanari
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zucchini
authors.forename: Monia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gennari
authors.forename: Uberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pagotto
authors.forename: Rosaria
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: De Iasio
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pasquali
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cassio
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cicognani
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cacciari
mesh_terms: D000107:Acetylation; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D054439:Ghrelin; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D019382:Human Growth Hormone