Serum HPL level in maternal vein, umbilical cord artery and vein in term and preterm birth

The serum HPL level in maternal vein and the cord vein and artery in term (n = 34) and preterm (n = 74) birth was tested to classify the hormonal changes and the correlation between the maternal and fetal HPL values. It was found that between the 28th and the 40th weeks of gestation the maternal level tended to increase while in the cord vein and artery it decreased significantly in negative correlation with the weeks of pregnancy. The maternal serum HPL level was significantly higher than that of the cord vein and artery. Between the 28th and 40th week the value in the cord artery divided by the value in the cord vein multiplied by 100 tended to decrease. While the HPL concentration in maternal serum did not correlate with its level in the cord vein and artery the levels in the cord vein and artery were significantly correlated. The characteristic and independent change in the fetal serum HPL concentration raised the possibility of a change in the transport function of the placenta and of an autonomous fetal HPL metabolism.     

Serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor in singleton and twin pregnancy.

Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is present in the placenta and has been implicated in placental growth and development. M-CSF levels in peripheral blood increase significantly with progression of pregnancy in uncomplicated singleton pregnancy. This study investigated whether serum M-CSF levels in singleton pregnancy differed from those in twin pregnancy. A hundred and four pregnant women, of whom fifty-nine were women carrying single fetuses and forty-five were women with twin fetuses, participated in the study. Their average gestational age at entry was 10, 20, 30, and 38 weeks of gestation in singleton pregnancy and 10, 20, 30, and 35 weeks in twin pregnancy. Peripheral blood was collected and serum was separated after centrifugation and stored at - 20 degrees C. M-CSF levels were determined by ELISA. In both groups, the serum levels of M-CSF increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. M-CSF levels were relatively higher in twin pregnancy than in singleton pregnancy at 10, 20, and 30 weeks. At 35 and 38 weeks, the M-CSF levels were significantly higher in twin pregnancy than in singleton pregnancy. Elevation of serum M-CSF supports M-CSF production in the placenta. This elevation in twin pregnancy may be related to increased demand of M-CSF in twin pregnancy.     

Placental synthesis of estrogens at parturition and during placental retention in the cow

Nine cows were submitted to lutectomy at 250 or 270 d of pregnancy and catheters were implanted in the jugular, carotid, uterine artery and uterine vein to determine endocrine changes following lutectomy and throughout parturition. Blood samples were collected at 8-h intervals and assayed for estrogens. Fetal and maternal placental tissues were also collected at parturition and 3 d postpartum for incubation studies on estrogen synthesis. Based on plasma concentrations, the uterus is able to secrete considerable quantities of unconjugated and conjugated estrone (E1) and estradiol 17 μ (E2α) at both 250 and 270 d of gestation. In vitro conversion of androstendione to total estrogens averaged 32.4% and 16.8% for fetal and maternal tissues at parturition, respectively. Incubation of placental tissues collected from animals with placental retention on Day 3 postpartum resulted in conversion of 3.2 and 4.6% of androstendione by fetal and maternal tissues, respectively. One cow which retained the placenta was sampled until 3 d postpartum and assay of the plasma estrogen content indicated that there was always a higher concentration of estrogen in the uterine vein than in the uterine artery, supporting the in vitro incubation data.     

16-sulfates of estriol in body fluids of human pregnancy at term.

A method was developed for the assay of estriol-16-sulfate (E3-16S) and estriol-3, 16-disulfate (E3-3,16-diS) in maternal serum, cord serum and amniotic fluid at delivery in human pregnancy. Tritiated E3-16S and E3-3,16-diS are added to the fluid being analyzed. The conjugates are separated and purified by sequential chromatography on alumina, Celite and Sephadex LH-20. Each conjugate is hydrolyzed with Glusulase and the released estriol is quantified by radioimmmunoassay. E3-3,16-diS was found in each fluid, most concentrated in the cord serum. Small amounts of E3-16S were found in some amniotic fluids, and this conjugate was virtually absent from the sera. These new estriol conjugates comprise less than 1 percent of total, estriol, apparently too low to be of diagnostic value in human pregnancy.     

Oxidative stress in small-for-gestational age (SGA) term newborns and their mothers

This study used malondialdehyde (MDA) determination by HPLC and enzymatic assays for total serum peroxides and antioxidant capacity to evaluate oxidative stress in 47 healthy full-term small-for-gestational age (SGA) newborns vs 67 appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) newborns. Blood samples were collected at delivery from umbilical cord artery and vein and from peripheral blood of the babies on the third day after birth. Blood samples of mothers were also collected and compared with blood of 29 normal non-pregnant women (NPW). Serum peroxide values were significantly higher in both groups of mothers than in NPW, decreasing towards the third day in AGA mothers, while persisting in SGA mothers. Antioxidant capacity of sera of both groups of mothers was lower than NPW. Both SGA mothers and babies had increased MDA at delivery, unlike AGA counterparts. MDA levels in umbilical vein were higher than in umbilical arteries, while immunohistochemistry revealed abundant presence of 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE)-protein adducts only in stroma of the SGA placenta. These results show that both mothers and babies are exposed to oxidative stress during and after delivery, which is more pronounced and persistent in the perinatal period of the SGA group, while lipid peroxidation in placenta could play a role in SGA pathophysiology.     

Secretion of unconjugated estrone during pregnancy and around parturition in goats

The secretion of unconjugated estrone and its production site in pregnant goats were investigated in vivo. The mean estrone concentration (n = 15) in the peripheral plasma increased gradually, being 83 pg/ml on Day 40 and 483 pg/ml on Day 140 after mating. The estrone concentration increased rapidly after Day 2 before partum, reaching a peak at parturition (2370 pg/ml), and falling to 171 pg/ml at Day 1 post partum. The concentrations of estrone from the umbilical vein and umbilical artery did not differ from that found in the maternal jugular vein, suggesting that the fetus does not take part in estrogen production. The estrone concentration from the uterine vein after the fetus was removed was higher than the concentrations found in the maternal jugular vein and umbilical artery. In the placental tissue, a high concentration of estrone (18157 pg per gram of wet tissue) was detected. These findings suggest that the main production site of unconjugated estrone is the placenta.     

Evaluation of cord blood immunoglobulin E and its association with maternal factors in a group of Iranian newborns

Allergic disorders are among the most common diseases around the world especially in children. Many factors contribute to the pathogenesis of atopic disorders, but early events during the pregnancy are very important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of cord blood immunoglobulin E (CB-IgE) and its association with maternal in a group of Iranian newborns. In a cross-sectional study, 163 pregnant women randomly selected and information about pregnancy and atopy were taken by questionnaire. Blood samples of mothers and matched cord blood were collected and total serum IgE levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. To rolling out the possibility of contamination with maternal blood, total IgA was checked for all the cord blood samples. Sixteen percent of mothers had the history of atopic diseases and the mean IgE level was significantly higher in an atopic than nonatopic mothers (241 vs 102, P < 0.001). About 73.9% of cord blood samples, had high IgE level (>0.9 IU/mL). The level of cord blood IgE (CB-IgE) was not significantly different in male and female newborns (2.14 vs 2.15 IU/mL). There was no significant correlation between maternal factors such as age, pregnancy variables, allergens exposure, smoking, and maternal IgE with cord blood IgE. The results of this study showed that CB-IgE is high in a remarkable number of samples; independent of maternal or fetal factors. Further studies need to evaluate the reasons for the high level of IgE in cord blood in our area.     

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels in multiple pregnancy.

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels were higher in 10 twin pregnancies and one triplet pregnancy than in 22 control singleton pregnancies matched for maternal age, parity, and the time of gestation at which the serum sample was taken. In twin pregnancies the average AFP levels were double those found in singleton pregnancies and the level in the triplet pregnancy was even higher. Raised maternal serum AFP values due to multiple pregnancy should not cause unnecessary amniocentesis in the diagnosis of anencephaly or spina bifida if an ultrasound investigation is routinely performed first.     

Correlation between birth weight, leptin, zinc and copper levels in maternal and cord blood

Leptin and zinc are involved in the regulation of appetite. Copper is a trace element regulating the functions of several cuproenzymes that are essential for life. To evaluate the relationship between zinc and copper status and the leptin system in humans, we examined whether leptin concentrations in the mother and the newborn correlate with the weight of mother, placenta and newborn. A total of 88 pregnant women at 38-42 weeks' gestation were studied. All infants were categorized as small for gestational age (SGA) (n = 16), average for gestational age (AGA) (n = 59) or large for gestational age (LGA) (n = 13). Leptin, zinc, and copper levels were measured in maternal and cord serum at birth. Maternal BMI and placental weight of the LGA groups were significantly higher than those of the SGA and AGA groups. Cord and maternal leptin levels of the SGA groups were significantly lower than those of the AGA and LGA groups. Maternal serum leptin levels were positively correlated with BMI and maternal zinc levels in all groups. Cord serum leptin levels of all groups were positively correlated with birth weight and placental weight. Birth weight was negatively correlated with maternal and cord copper level of all groups. Umbilical leptin concentrations of SGA newborns correlated with leptin concentrations of their mothers. In all pregnancies, birth weight increases in association with increase in cord leptin level. Our results suggest that maternal zinc but not copper level has an effect on maternal serum leptin levels. The increase in copper level in both maternal and cord blood may contribute to restriction in fetal growth.     

Ceramides, sphinganine, sphingosine and acid sphingomyelinases in the human umbilical cord blood.

Ceramides, sphingosine, sphinganine, as well as Zn (++)-dependent and Zn (++)-independent acid sphingomyelinase are present in the plasma of adults. The aim of the present study was to examine the concentrations of these compounds and activities of both enzymes in the umbilical cord blood in humans. Twenty-two women with uncomplicated term pregnancy volunteered for the study. Blood was taken from the umbilical cord artery and from the antecubital vein of the mother immediately after delivery. Free ceramides were isolated by thin layer chromatography, and their fatty acids were identified and quantified by gas-liquid chromatography. Free sphingosine and sphinganine concentrations were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. Acid Zn (++)-dependent and Zn (++)-independent sphingomyelinase activity was measured using sphingomyelin [choline-methyl-14C] as a substrate. We found that the compounds examined are present in the umbilical cord blood. The total fatty acid-containing ceramide concentrations in fetal blood were lower than in mother's blood. The mean sphingosine and sphinganine concentrations in the fetal and maternal serum were similar. The examined enzymes were present in the fetal serum, and their mean activity did not differ from that in the mother. In conclusion, we have shown the presence of ceramides, sphingosine and sphinganine and both isoforms of acid sphingomyelinase in the human fetal cord blood. They are most likely the product of the fetus itself.     

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) in cord blood

Thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a plasma zymogene (procarboxypeptidase B) which can decrease fibrinolysis and thus act as a haemostatic factor. TAFI is now extensively studied in many complications as well as in physiological and complicated pregnancy. The question we posed in the present study was whether TAFI antigen is present in cord blood plasma. The study group consisted of 38 parturient women, 26 primiparous and 12 multiparous with normal course of pregnancy and delivery. The cord blood was sampled from the cord vein, and the mother's blood from the antecubital vein. 3.2% sodium citrate was used as an anticoagulant. TAFIa/ai antigen was measured by ELISA method. TAFIa/ai antigen was identified in all samples of cord blood plasma. Its level was 91.50 ng/ml (range: 71.76 - 160.77 ng/ml) vs. 55.46 ng/ml (range: 39.77 - 68.54 ng/ml ) in the mother's blood, which means that the level of TAFIa/ai antigen was significantly higher in fetal blood than in maternal blood (p<0.00001). TAFIa/ai antigen is an integral component of cord blood plasma. The concentration of TAFIa/ai antigen is about two times higher in fetal blood than in maternal blood.     

Selenium levels in related biological samples: human placenta, maternal and umbilical cord blood, hair and nails.

A study on selenium levels has been carried out in human placenta, maternal and umbilical cord blood, hair and nails of a group of 50 mothers and in the hair of the newborns. The determinations were perfomed by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry. The selenium concentration obtained for each sample type was as follows: For the human placenta the values obtained were between 0.56 and 1.06 microg/g (mean +/- standard deviation: 0.81 +/- 0.02 microg/g). The levels for the umbilical cord blood were 51.1-104.2 microg/l (76.3 +/- 6.5 microg/l). For the maternal blood the values measured were between 57.3 and 117.9 microg/l (90.0 +/- 15.2 microg/l), and for hair and nails were 0.22-1.5 microg/g (0.60 +/- 0.37 microg/g) and 0.46-1.57 microg/g (0.90 +/- 0.27 microg/g), respectively. For the hair of the newborns the values obtained were between 0.40 and 2.53 microg/g (1.04 +/- 0.48 microg/g). The effect of different variables as age, habitat, nutritional index or gestation age of the mothers on the selenium concentration in the samples was studied. The influence of the habitat is significant with a confidence level of 95% for the selenium concentration in maternal blood and umbilical cord blood samples. The influence of the mothers' age is significant with a confidence level of 95% for the selenium concentration in the umbilical cord blood samples. For the placenta samples, the effect of the nutritional index is significant with a confidence level of 95%. There is a positive correlation between samples of umbilical cord blood and the newborns' hair, between placenta and umbilical cord, and between cord blood and maternal blood.     

Transplacental transfer of medetomidine and ketamine in pregnant ewes

The extent of placental transfer of medetomidine and ketamine is unknown in pregnant ewes. Date-mated singleton (n = 8) and twin (n = 8) pregnant merino cross ewes were anaesthetized for Caesarean delivery of preterm lamb fetuses. A combination of medetomidine (20 μg/kg) and ketamine (10 mg/kg) was administered by intravenous injection and surgery performed immediately thereafter. Blood samples were collected from the ewe at one, five and 10 min after intravenous injection and from the umbilical vein of the fetus at delivery. Non-pregnant ewes were also anaesthetized (n = 8). There was no difference in the plasma concentration of medetomidine or ketamine when comparing singleton and twin ewes or pregnant and non-pregnant ewes for the short duration of the study. Fetal plasma concentrations of each drug were comparable to the maternal concentrations at the same time. We conclude that both drugs cross the placenta readily and provide anaesthesia and analgesia for the fetus when it is delivered.     

Collagen of umbilical cord vein and its alterations in pre-eclampsia

The state of the vascular system of the mother and of placenta is known to exert a great influence on intrauterinal development of the fetus. Pre-eclampsia is the most common pathological syndrome connected with pregnancy. Since collagen is one of the main constituents of the vessel wall a comparison was made with collagen content and its molecular polymorphism in umbilical cord veins of newborns from healthy and pre-eclamptic mothers. It was found that umbilical cord veins of newborns from mothers with pre-eclampsia contained 18% less collagen than those of the newborns from normal pregnancies. This decrease was accompanied by a slight decrease of collagen solubility, but all its types (I, II, IV, V and VI) were present. However, the umbilical vein wall of newborns from mothers with pre-eclampsia contained relatively less of type I and more of type III collagen than the normal umbilical cord. These differences may be connected with a disturbance of blood flow in fetus of a woman with pre-eclampsia.     

Histomorphometric changes in the placenta and umbilical cord during complications of pregnancy

Pregnancy complications may cause morphological changes and circulation defects in the placenta, which may lead to morbidity and mortality in fetuses and newborns. We investigated structural changes in the placenta and umbilical cord under various abnormal maternal conditions. Placenta and umbilical cord specimens were obtained from pregnant women during labor at 37 ? 42 weeks gestation. Volumetric measurements were made for each placenta and umbilical cord using the Cavalieri method. Significant differences were observed for volumetric densities of total villi, syncytial knots, intervillous vessels and perivillous fibrin deposition. We observed particular increases in the volumetric parameters of the pre-eclampsia group compared to the other groups. The tunica media of the umbilical arteries was increased significantly with intrahepatic cholestasis.     

17 beta-Hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase activity in human maternal and umbilical cord sera

The specific activity of 17 beta-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase (17 beta-HSOR) in human umbilical cord arterial serum has been reported to be similar to that of maternal serum and 5- to 15-times higher than that of cord venous serum. Based on these findings, it was proposed that 17 beta-HSOR in cord arterial serum arises from fetal tissue sources other than placenta. In the course of studies of the role of 17 beta-HSOR in the modulation of bioactive estrogen levels in the human fetus, we determined that: (i) the specific activity of 17 beta-HSOR in maternal serum is 2.1- to 55-times higher than that in either umbilical cord venous serum or cord arterial serum; (ii) the specific activity of 17 beta-HSOR in umbilical cord venous and cord arterial sera are similar; (iii) anti-human placental cytosolic 17 beta-HSOR antibody inactivates the 17 beta-HSOR in maternal, umbilical cord arterial, and cord venous sera but not in maternal or fetal erythrocytes; (iv) the specific activity of 17 beta-HSOR in maternal serum (expressed per mg protein) is higher than that in umbilical cord serum and maternal and fetal erythrocytes, and is approximately 700-times lower than that of the placental microsomal enzyme; (v) the preferred cofactor for maternal serum 17 beta-HSOR is NADP+; (vi) 17 beta-HSOR is associated with the high speed supernatant fraction of maternal serum rather than with the particulate fraction; and, (vii) the patterns of binding of [3H]estradiol-17 beta to proteins in maternal and umbilical cord arterial sera and those of 17 beta-HSOR activity, determined in corresponding fractions obtained after sucrose density gradient centrifugation, are approximately coincidental at S20, omega 4.6-5. The findings of higher 17 beta-HSOR levels in maternal serum compared with umbilical cord arterial serum and the inactivation of the cord arterial serum enzyme by an antibody that recognizes human placental cytosolic 17 beta-HSOR is suggestive that 17 beta-HSOR in cord arterial serum is of placental origin.     

The negative correlation between prolactin and ionic calcium in cord blood of full term infants

Total serum calcium (Ca), ionic calcium (Ca++), phosphorus, magnesium, total protein, immunoreactive parathyroid hormone (iPTH), calcitonin (iCT) and prolactin (iPRL) were measured in 30 paired samples of cord and maternal blood obtained at term delivery. In the cord blood, the concentrations of Ca, Ca++, phosphorus, magnesium, albumin, iCT and iPRL were all higher, and the concentrations of total protein and iPTH lower than in the maternal blood. The calcium binding capacity of albumin assessed with the equation (Ca-Ca++)/albumin, was similar at a given concentration of Ca in both the maternal and fetal circulations. There was a significant positive correlation between cord Ca++ and maternal Ca or Ca++, and a significant negative correlation between Ca++ and iPRL in cord blood. These data suggest that there is an active system transporting calcium from mother to fetus through the placenta, and PRL is the only one of the three hormones which was correlated with ionic calcium values in the fetus. The negative relationship between Ca++ and iPRL in the cord blood suggests an inhibitory effect of the relative hypercalcemia on PRL secretion in the fetus.     

Protective activity of the antilipopolysaccharide antibodies from human cord serum

We evaluated the ability of human maternal and cord serum antibodies to protect mice challenged with live Escherichia coli serotype O6:K2ac (E. coli O6). Mice received paired maternal or cord serum pools before a challenge with E. coli O6 to evaluate the mortality rate. All the pools were able to protect the animals challenged with bacteria except the test group from paired maternal and cord sera from preterm neonates containing less than 1.0 mg L(-1) immunoglobulin G antibody levels. In liver, spleen and mesenteric lymph nodes from the control group (phosphate-buffered saline), more than 10(2) CFU mL(-1) bacteria were found at 30 min and more than 10(5) CFU mL(-1) after 120 min. The test group showed lower bacterial counts in the organs, and no bacteria in the mesenteric lymph nodes during the evaluated period. Tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin 6 were undetectable in serum from animals pretreated with paired maternal and cord serum pools from full-term neonates and pools from preterm neonates containing high antibody and avidity levels. Our findings suggest that placental transfer of antilipopolysaccharide O6 immunoglobulin G antibodies to neonates has a high capacity to prevent lethal infection with E. coli O6 in a mouse protection model and that the degree of protection is determined by the concentration and avidity of these IgG antibodies.     

Locus-specific DNA methylation in the placenta is associated with levels of pro-inflammatory proteins in cord blood and they are both independently affected by maternal smoking during pregnancy

We investigated the impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on placental DNA methylation and how this may mediate the association between maternal smoking and pro-inflammatory proteins in cord blood. The study population consisted of 27 individuals exposed to maternal smoking throughout pregnancy, 32 individuals exposed during a proportion of the pregnancy, and 61 unexposed individuals. Methylation of 11 regions within 6 genes in placenta tissue was assessed by pyrosequencing. Levels of 7 pro-inflammatory proteins in cord blood were assessed by electrochemiluminescence. Differential methylation was observed in the CYP1A1 promoter and AHRR gene body regions between women who smoked throughout pregnancy and non-smokers on the fetal-side of the placenta and in the GFI1 promoter between women who quit smoking while pregnant and non-smokers on the maternal-side of the placenta. Maternal smoking resulted in elevated levels of IL-8 protein in cord blood, which was not mediated by DNA methylation of our candidate regions at either the maternal or the fetal side of the placenta. Placental DNA methylation was associated with levels of inflammatory proteins in cord blood. Our observations suggest that maternal smoking during pregnancy affects both placental DNA methylation and the neonate's immune response.