Cord blood eicosanoid signatures and newborn gestational age

Beyond prostaglandins, the function of eicosanoids and other oxylipins in pregnancy and labor is poorly understood. In contrast to earlier work focusing on preterm infants, we investigated how oxylipin levels in newborns (measured in cord blood) vary during the last weeks of pregnancy in 190 mother-newborns (≥37 weeks of gestation) of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, Belgium. We found increased levels of PGE₂ (p=0.003), PGF_2α (p=0.042), 8,9-DHET (p=0.037), 11-HETE (p=0.034), and 15-HETrE (p=0.008) associated with full term pregnancy compared to early term labor. Furthermore, late vs early term was associated with increased levels of PGE₂ (p=0.012) and TXB₂ (p=0.033), while late vs full term was associated with decreased levels of 14,15-DHET (p=0.029), 11,12-DHET (p=0.033), and 5-HETE (p=0.045). To summarize, nine eicosanoids, derived via three enzymatic pathways, were significantly associated with gestational age. Eight of these were derived from arachidonic acid, and one from dihomo-γ-linolenic acid.