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Cord blood fatty acid binding protein 4 and lipids in infants born small- or large-for-gestational-age
Xin Liu1,2, Tao Zheng3, Min-Yi Tao1
1Ministry of Education-Shanghai Key Laboratory of Children's Environmental Health, Early Life Health Institute, and Department of Pediatrics, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
Insights
Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) was linked to reduced risk of small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. FABP4 showed positive correlations with HDL and LDL cholesterols in large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants, suggesting a role in fetal lipid metabolism.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Metabolic disorders
- Perinatal medicine
Background:
- Adverse fetal growth (poor or excessive) is linked to increased type 2 diabetes risk.
- Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) plays a role in insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism, and fetal growth.
- Understanding FABP4's role in fetal growth and associated metabolic profiles is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between cord blood FABP4 concentrations and fetal growth (SGA and LGA).
- To examine the relationship between FABP4 and fetal lipid profiles (HDL, LDL, triglycerides) in different fetal growth categories.
Main Methods:
- A nested case-control study was conducted within the Shanghai Birth Cohort.
- Included 60 trios each of small-for-gestational-age (SGA), large-for-gestational-age (LGA), and optimal-for-gestational-age (OGA) infants.
- Measured cord blood FABP4, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides, adjusting for maternal and neonatal factors.
Main Results:
- Higher cord blood FABP4 was associated with lower odds of SGA (OR=0.29, P=0.01).
- No significant association was found between FABP4 and LGA (P=0.46).
- FABP4 positively correlated with LDL (r=0.29, P=0.025) and HDL (r=0.33, P=0.01) in LGA infants only.
Conclusions:
- FABP4 is inversely associated with the risk of poor fetal growth (SGA).
- This study is the first to report LGA-specific positive correlations between cord blood FABP4 and HDL/LDL cholesterols.
- FABP4 may play a role in fetal lipid metabolism, particularly in cases of excessive fetal growth (LGA).
Aim:
Adverse (poor or excessive) fetal growth "programs" an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) has been implicated in regulating insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism relevant to fetal growth. We sought to determine whether FABP4 is associated with poor or excessive fetal growth and fetal lipids.
Methods:
In a nested case-control study in the Shanghai Birth Cohort including 60 trios of small-for-gestational-age (SGA, an indicator of poor fetal growth), large-for-gestational-age (LGA, an indicator of excessive fetal growth) and optimal-for-gestational-age (OGA, control) infants, we measured cord blood concentrations of FABP4 and lipids [high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterols, triglycerides (TG)].
Results:
Adjusting for maternal and neonatal characteristics, higher cord blood FABP4 concentrations were associated with a lower odds of SGA [OR = 0.29 (0.11-0.77) per log unit increment in FABP4, P = 0.01], but were not associated with LGA (P = 0.46). Cord blood FABP4 was positively correlated with both LDL (r = 0.29, P = 0.025) and HDL (r = 0.33, P = 0.01) in LGA infants only.
Conclusion:
FABP4 was inversely associated with the risk of SGA. The study is the first to demonstrate LGA-specific positive correlations of cord blood FABP4 with HDL and LDL cholesterols, suggesting a role of FABP4 in fetal lipid metabolism in subjects with excessive fetal growth.
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