Active and total ghrelin concentrations in the newborn.
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.
Pirazzoli
Piero
P
Department of Pediatrics, Center for Applied Biomedical Research, S Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy. pira@alma.unibo.it
Lanari
Marcello
M
Zucchini
Stefano
S
Gennari
Monia
M
Pagotto
Uberto
U
De Iasio
Rosaria
R
Pasquali
Renato
R
Cassio
Alessandra
A
Cicognani
Alessandro
A
Cacciari
Emanuele
E
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
D054439:Ghrelin; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D019382:Human Growth Hormone