Blood protein profiles of infants born before 28 weeks differ by pregnancy complication

Area of Science:

• Neonatal immunology and inflammation
• Perinatal medicine
• Biomarker discovery

Background:

• Preterm delivery is a significant concern in perinatal medicine.
• The fetal inflammatory response is influenced by various pregnancy disorders.
• Understanding these inflammatory pathways is crucial for predicting and managing preterm birth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between pregnancy disorders leading to preterm delivery and the fetal inflammatory response.
• To identify specific blood protein patterns indicative of inflammation in neonates born prematurely.
• To differentiate pregnancy disorders based on their inflammatory impact on the fetus.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of odds ratios for elevated concentrations of 25 blood proteins on the first postnatal day.
• Study cohort included 798 infants born before the 28th week of gestation.
• Infants were classified based on the specific pregnancy disorder that led to preterm delivery.

Main Results:

• Elevated levels of cytokines, inflammatory proteins, chemokines, adhesion molecules, and metalloproteinases were observed in infants born after preterm labor, membrane rupture, abruption, and cervical insufficiency.
• This inflammatory pattern was not evident in infants born due to preeclampsia or fetal indication/growth restriction.
• Maternal vaginitis was also associated with specific inflammatory profiles in newborns.

Conclusions:

• The distinct patterns of blood proteins in newborns support classifying pregnancy disorders causing preterm delivery into those associated with inflammation and those not.
• This finding aids in understanding the heterogeneous nature of preterm birth.
• Identified protein profiles may serve as potential biomarkers for inflammatory-driven preterm delivery.