Associations of maternal plasma and umbilical cord plasma metabolomics profiles with birth anthropometric measures

The metabolomics profiles of maternal plasma during pregnancy and cord plasma at birth might influence fetal growth and birth anthropometry. The objective was to examine how maternal plasma and umbilical cord plasma metabolites are associated with newborn anthropometric measures, a known predictor of future health outcomes.

Pregnant women between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation were recruited as part of a prospective cohort study. Blood samples from 413 women at enrollment and 787 infant cord blood samples were analyzed using the Biocrates AbsoluteIDQ® p180 kit. Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine associations of cord and maternal metabolites with infant anthropometry at birth.

In cord blood samples from this rural cohort from New Hampshire of largely white residents, 13 metabolites showed negative associations, and 10 metabolites showed positive associations with birth weight Z-score. Acylcarnitine C5 showed negative association, and 4 lysophosphatidylcholines showed positive associations with birth length Z-score. Maternal blood metabolites did not significantly correlate with birth weight and length Z-scores.

Consistent findings were observed for several acylcarnitines that play a role in utilization of energy sources, and a lysophosphatidylcholine that is part of oxidative stress and inflammatory response pathways in cord plasma samples.

The metabolomics profiles of maternal plasma during pregnancy and cord plasma at birth may influence fetal growth and birth anthropometry. This study examines the independent effects of maternal gestational and infant cord blood metabolomes across different classes of metabolites on birth anthropometry. Acylcarnitine species were negatively associated and glycerophospholipids species were positively associated with weight and length Z-scores at birth in the cord plasma samples, but not in the maternal plasma samples. This study identifies lipid metabolites in infants that possibly may affect early growth.