Maternal and neonatal circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with pre-eclampsia and a small-for-gestational age neonate.
OBJECTIVE
Maternal circulating visfatin concentrations are higher in patients with a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate than in those who delivered an appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) neonate or in those with pre-eclampsia. It has been proposed that enhanced transfer of visfatin from the foetal to maternal circulation may account for the high concentrations of maternal visfatin observed in patients with an SGA neonate. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine whether cord blood visfatin concentrations differ between normal neonates, SGA neonates and newborns of pre-eclamptic mothers; and (2) to assess the relationship between maternal and foetal circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with an SGA neonate and those with pre-eclampsia.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study included 88 pregnant women and their neonates, as well as 22 preterm neonates in the following groups: (1) 44 normal pregnant women at term and their AGA neonates; (2) 22 normotensive pregnant women and their SGA neonates; (3) 22 women with pre-eclampsia and their neonates; and (4) 22 preterm neonates delivered following spontaneous preterm labour without funisitis or histologic chorioamnionitis, matched for gestational age with infants of pre-eclamptic mothers. Maternal plasma and cord blood visfatin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics were used for analyses.


RESULTS
(1) The median visfatin concentration was lower in umbilical cord blood than in maternal circulation, in normal pregnancy, SGA and pre-eclampsia groups (p<0.001 for all comparisons); (2) the median cord blood visfatin concentrations did not differ significantly between term AGA or SGA neonates, infants of mothers with pre-eclampsia and their gestational-age-matched preterm AGA neonates; (3) maternal and cord blood visfatin concentrations correlated only in the normal term group (r=0.48, p=0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Circulating visfatin concentrations are lower in the foetal than in the maternal circulation and did not significantly differ between the study groups. Thus, it is unlikely that the foetal circulation is the source of the high maternal visfatin concentrations reported in patients with an SGA neonate.
Mazaki-Tovi
Shali
S
Perinatology Research Branch, Intramural Division, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Vaisbuch
Edi
E
Romero
Roberto
R
Kusanovic
Juan Pedro
JP
Chaiworapongsa
Tinnakorn
T
Kim
Sun Kwon
SK
Nhan-Chang
Chia-Ling
CL
Gomez
Ricardo
R
Alpay Savasan
Zeynep
Z
Madan
Ichchha
I
Yoon
Bo Hyun
BH
Yeo
Lami
L
Mittal
Pooja
P
Ogge
Giovanna
G
Gonzalez
Juan M
JM
Hassan
Sonia S
SS
D000328:Adult; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007236:Infant, Small for Gestational Age / Q000097:blood*; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
D016207:Cytokines; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human