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Maternal pro-hepcidin at term correlates with cord blood pro-hepcidin at birth
Mari Ervasti1, Ulla Sankilampi, Susanna Luukkonen
1Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, Kuopio University, Kuopio, Finland. mari.ervasti@uku.fi
Insights
Maternal and newborn serum pro-hepcidin levels correlate significantly, suggesting a placental connection rather than a direct link to iron homeostasis in term pregnancies. This study explored pro-hepcidin associations in maternal and infant iron status.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Medicine
- Biochemistry
- Neonatal Physiology
Background:
- Hepcidin, a peptide hormone, regulates iron metabolism.
- Pro-hepcidin is the precursor to active hepcidin.
- Understanding pro-hepcidin's role in pregnancy is crucial for iron homeostasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between maternal and cord blood pro-hepcidin levels in term pregnancies.
- To determine if maternal and newborn iron status markers correlate with pro-hepcidin levels.
Main Methods:
- Study included 193 pregnant women and their term newborns.
- Serum pro-hepcidin measured via ELISA.
- Assessed blood count, iron status markers (iron, transferrin, TfSat, TfR, ferritin), birth weight, and placental parameters.
Main Results:
- Maternal pro-hepcidin levels were significantly higher than in newborns (325 vs. 235 μg/L).
- A strong positive correlation was found between maternal and cord blood pro-hepcidin (r=0.600, p<0.001).
- Pro-hepcidin levels correlated with placental weight but not with iron status markers in mothers or newborns.
Conclusions:
- Pro-hepcidin is not directly linked to maternal or newborn iron homeostasis at term.
- Maternal and fetal pro-hepcidin levels show a significant correlation, suggesting placental involvement.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise role of pro-hepcidin in pregnancy.
Objective:
Hepcidin, a small 25 amino-acid antimicrobial peptide, has a significant role in the regulation of iron homeostasis. Pro-hepcidin, an 84 amino-acid peptide, is a precursor of the active hepcidin. The main aim of this study was to examine the association of maternal serum pro-hepcidin with cord blood pro-hepcidin levels in term pregnancies, and whether maternal and newborn iron status measurements correlate with the pro-hepcidin level.
Study Design:
The population consisted of 193 pregnant women admitted to the Kuopio University Hospital (Finland) for delivery, and their full-term newborn infants (cord blood). The main outcome measures were serum pro-hepcidin (ELISA), blood count including red cell indices, serum iron status markers (including iron, transferrin, transferrin saturation (TfSat), transferrin receptor (TfR) and ferritin), birth weight and placental weight and relative placental size. A Mann-Whitney U-test and Spearman's correlation were used to test the associations between the parameters.
Results:
Pregnant women had higher pro-hepcidin level than their newborns (325 microg/L vs. 235 microg/L, p<0.001). The Spearman's correlation between the maternal and cord blood serum pro-hepcidin level was highly significant (correlation coefficient 0.600, p<0.001). Additionally, both maternal and cord blood pro-hepcidin levels correlated weakly but significantly with placental weight and relative placental size. However, pro-hepcidin level did not correlate with iron status measurements in pregnant women or in their newborns.
Conclusions:
The present results suggest that pro-hepcidin is not associated with maternal or newborn iron homeostasis at term and birth, but may act in concert with the placenta, as evidenced by the correlation between maternal and fetal pro-hepcidin levels and their slight correlation with placental weight.
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