Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 9, 2025
Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Biomarkers in the Newborn with Fetal Growth Retardation and Early Impairment of Heart Function
Olov Änghagen1,2, Jan Engvall3,4,5, Tomas Gottvall6
1Crown Princess Victoria's Child and Youth Hospital, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden, olov.anghagen@liu.se.
Insights
Lower birth weight in children is linked to future cardiovascular disease. Cord blood protein biomarkers identified may reveal early programming mechanisms for heart function.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular biology
- Neonatal research
- Biomarker discovery
Background:
- Children born with lower birth weight have an increased risk of adult cardiovascular disease.
- Early life factors can influence long-term cardiovascular health.
- Understanding fetal programming of cardiovascular function is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify cardiovascular protein biomarkers in cord blood associated with birth weight.
- To investigate the relationship between these biomarkers and cardiac function in newborns.
- To explore early programming mechanisms of cardiovascular disease.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed plasma levels of 184 circulating proteins using Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) in cord blood from 48 infants.
- Correlated protein levels with birth weight Standard Deviation Scores (SDS).
- Assessed Left Ventricular Longitudinal Strain (LVLS) via echocardiography at birth and 3 months.
Main Results:
- Identified seven cardiovascular protein biomarkers associated with birth weight SDS, including Stem cell factor (SCF), Leptin (LEP), Elafin (PI3), Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1), Follastatin (FS), Paraoxonase (PON3), and Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM).
- Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM) showed a significant correlation with LVLS at 3 months of age.
- Established and novel proteins linked to fetal growth and birth size were identified.
Conclusions:
- Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) effectively identified proteins associated with fetal growth and birth size.
- A novel protein, Ep-CAM, was found to be related to cardiac function (LVLS) in infants.
- This approach shows promise for uncovering pathways involved in cardiovascular programming from infancy, potentially impacting adult disease risk.
Introduction:
Children born with lower birth weight face an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life. We hypothesize that cardiovascular protein biomarkers in cord blood, associated with birth weight SDS and systolic cardiac function, may reveal mechanisms behind early programming of cardiovascular function.
Methods:
We investigated the association between birth weight SDS and plasma levels of 184 circulating proteins determined by Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) in cord blood from 48 children. The birth weight-associated proteins were correlated with left ventricular longitudinal strain (LVLS) determined by echocardiography at birth and 3 months of age.
Results:
We identified seven cardiovascular protein biomarkers associated with birth weight SDS: stem cell factor, leptin, elafin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1, follastatin, paraoxonase, and epithelial cell adhesion molecule (Ep-CAM). Among these, Ep-CAM significantly correlated with LVLS at 3 months of age.
Conclusion:
PEA successfully identified both established and novel proteins associated with fetal growth and birth size, including one novel protein related to LVLS. This indicates that our approach is promising for uncovering biological pathways that may be involved in direct programming of cardiovascular function in children and affect the risk of cardiovascular disease in adulthood.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...
01:19Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
01:14Fetal Circulation
Two umbilical arteries transport blood from the fetus to the placenta. At the placenta, the blood absorbs oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously eliminating waste products. This oxygen-enriched and nutrient-rich blood then returns to the fetus through one...