title: Copeptin: a marker for stress reaction in fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare venous cord plasma concentrations of 4 vasoactive peptide precursors: carboxy-terminal proarginine vasopressin, CT-prondothelin (ET)-1, midregional proadrenomedullin, and MR-proatrial natriuretic peptide, between fetuses with intrauterine growth restriction and appropriate for gestational age controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Matched-pair analysis of 12 fetuses with significant intrauterine growth restriction and 42 healthy appropriate for gestational age control fetuses. All infants were singletons, delivered by elective section after 34 weeks and without chromosomal abnormalities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Umbilical cord plasma copeptin levels (median [range]) were 4-fold higher in intrauterine growth restriction infants than in matched appropriate for gestational age controls: 23.2 (6.7-449) vs 5.1 (2.5-53) pmol/L (P < .001). Multivariate regression analysis revealed an association between copeptin and umbilical artery resistance index z-score (P = .034). The 3 other precursor peptides showed no changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High copeptin concentrations in the cord blood of intrauterine growth restriction newborns reflect a fetal stress response and support the fetal programming hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Tilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schwabe
authors.forename: Nils G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Morgenthaler
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Natalucci
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wellmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000097:blood; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000097:blood; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood*; D006020:Glycopeptides / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C557077:C-terminal proendothelin-1; D019332:Endothelin-1; D006020:Glycopeptides; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C048197:copeptins; C552580:midregional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide, human; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor