title: Maternal nerve growth factor serum levels in the perinatal period.
abstract: Neurotrophins, such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are potent modulators of neuronal and immune function, and have been implicated recently in diseases associated with pregnancy. In contrast to serum BDNF, which is reportedly suppressed in the perinatal period, regulation of NGF in the perinatal period is unknown. In this study, serum NGF concentrations were measured in 40 pregnant (follow-up: 30th and 37th week of gestation, 1 week and 8 weeks after childbirth) and 40 non-pregnant women. Maternal NGF serum levels did not differ significantly from controls (median: 7.6 pg NGF/ml serum) neither before nor after childbirth, although there was a trend towards increased NGF concentrations at the 37th week of gestation (median: 12.5 pg NGF/ml serum) and 1 week after childbirth (median: 11.6 pg NGF/ml serum). There was no association of maternal NGF with 17beta-estradiol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and cortisol concentrations in maternal serum, or maternal depression, as measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). In the non-pregnant control group, NGF serum concentrations were negatively correlated with the number of days since the first day of the menstrual cycle (r=-0.32, p<0.05). In conclusion, NGF is not altered during normal pregnancy on a systemic level. In addition, NGF displays a different regulation compared with BDNF during the menstrual cycle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Medicine Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schulte-Herbrüggen
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Litzke
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hornych
authors.forename: Christiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zingler
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Höppner
authors.forename: J Christian
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Virchow
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hellweg
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lommatzsch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000097:blood*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor