Association between Leptin, Adiponectin, Resistin and Maternal Body Mass Index and Sex of Newborn Infants - Abstract
Background: Maternal and cord blood adipokine levels are associated with birth weight and intra-uterine retardation in neonates. It is not however clear whether there exists
any association between adipokine concentrations and gender of newborn infants. This prospective study correlates the levels of resistin, leptin, and adiponectin in maternal and cord
blood with maternal body mass index (BMI) and gender of the newborn babies.
Methods: Blood resistin, leptin, and adiponectin concentrations were determined in 200 maternal and cord blood at delivery by Enzyme linked Immunosorbent assay technique.
The mean values of maternal adipokines were associated with maternal body mass index while the cord blood adipokines levels were correlated with gender of neonates.
Results: Maternal blood leptin levels were significantly higher (P<0.001), while resistin and adiponectin levels were significantly lower (P<0.001), than in cord blood. Resistin
(p<0.025), and leptin (p<0.001), increased with increasing maternal BMI while adiponectin (p<0.001), decreased with increasing maternal BMI. Also, cord blood resistin was
significantly higher (p<0.002), among male gender than female, while leptin and adiponectin were lower (p<0.001), among male than female gender. Resistin (r -0.10; p<0.024),
and leptin (r=0.47; p<0.001) correlated negatively while adiponectin (r=0.27; p<0.001), correlated positively with gender among the newborn babies.
Conclusion: The measured adipokines are differentially expressed between male and female newborn infants. The need to pay attention to adipokine levels during pregnancy
and postnatally is suggested because of their possible influence on cardiometabolic disorders later in life.