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Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Biochemical Measurement of Neonatal Hypoxia
Published on: August 24, 2011
Concentrations of pentosidine, an advanced glycation end-product, in umbilical cord blood
Hirokazu Tsukahara1, Naoko Ohta, Shuko Sato
1Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193, Japan. htsuka@fmsrsa.fukui-med.ac.jp
Insights
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) accumulate in fetal blood, increasing with gestational age. Preeclampsia elevates these markers, indicating early-life oxidative stress.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Neonatal Research
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
Background:
- Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) form via Maillard reactions, with pentosidine a key marker of in vivo glycoxidation.
- AGEs and oxidative stress are implicated in various health conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify pentosidine concentrations in umbilical cord blood across different gestational ages.
- To investigate the relationship between fetal AGEs and maternal preeclampsia.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a validated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.
- Measured pentosidine levels in umbilical cord blood samples from newborns of varying gestational ages and maternal preeclampsia status.
Main Results:
- Pentosidine was detected in most umbilical cord blood samples, at lower levels than adults.
- Umbilical pentosidine concentrations increased with gestational age and fetal growth.
- Significantly higher pentosidine levels were observed in newborns of mothers with preeclampsia.
Conclusions:
- Fetal tissues accumulate AGEs and exhibit oxidative stress in utero, even early in human development.
- Maternal preeclampsia exacerbates this in utero accumulation of AGEs and oxidative stress.
Abstract:
Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) are formed over several weeks to months by non-enzymatic glycation and oxidation ("glycoxidation") reactions between carbohydrate-derived carbonyl groups and protein amino groups, known as the Maillard reaction. Pentosidine is one of the best-characterized AGEs and is accepted as a satisfactory marker for glycoxidation in vivo. The present study was intended to measure pentosidine concentrations in umbilical cord blood from newborns with various gestational ages using our recently established high-performance liquid chromatography method [Tsukahara, H. et al. (2003) Pediatr. Res. 54, 419-424]. Our study demonstrates, for the first time, that pentosidine is detected in most of the umbilical blood samples. This study also shows that the umbilical blood concentrations of pentosidine are considerably lower than normal adult values, but that they increase with gestation progression and fetal growth. Umbilical pentosidine concentrations were significantly elevated in newborns of mothers with preeclampsia compared to those of mothers without preeclampsia. We conclude that accumulation of AGEs and oxidative stress occurs in fetal tissues and organs in utero at the early stage of human life and that their accumulation is augmented in the maternal preeclampsic condition.
