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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Coculture Analysis of Extracellular Protein Interactions Affecting Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells
05:51

Coculture Analysis of Extracellular Protein Interactions Affecting Insulin Secretion by Pancreatic Beta Cells

Published on: June 15, 2013

Size in small-for-gestational-age neonates correlates with insulin-like growth factor-binding protein proteolysis and

Vicente Barrios1,2, Álvaro Martín-Rivada1, Gabriel Á Martos-Moreno1,2,3

  • 1Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Research Institute "La Princesa,"  Madrid E-28009, Spain.

Journal of the Endocrine Society
|July 23, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Pregnancy-associated plasma proteins (PAPPAs) and stanniocalcins (STCs) influence intrauterine growth. Their levels correlate with neonatal size and nutritional status, impacting insulin-like growth factor (IGF) bioavailability.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Growth Factor Biology

Background:

  • Prenatal growth significantly impacts postnatal outcomes, yet the underlying factors remain unclear.
  • Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I levels in cord blood correlate with birth weight and length.
  • The precise roles of pappalysins (PAPP-A, PAPP-A2) and stanniocalcins (STC-1, STC-2) in regulating IGF bioavailability and their relation to birth size are not well-defined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between serum levels of PAPP-A and STCs with other components of the IGF axis.
  • To determine the relationship between PAPP-A and STC levels and ponderal index (PI) in small-for-gestational-age (SGA), adequate-for-gestational-age (AGA), and large-for-gestational-age (LGA) neonates.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 26 SGA, 131 AGA, and 22 LGA neonates.
  • Evaluated circulating levels of IGF axis parameters in relation to neonatal weight, length, weight-to-length ratio, and PI.

Main Results:

  • SGA newborns exhibited lower IGF-I, PAPP-A2, and IGFBP-3 levels, alongside higher IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, and STC-1 levels compared to AGA newborns.
  • Neonates in the lowest PI tertile had reduced IGF-I and IGFBP-5 but increased IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels compared to those in the highest tertile.
  • PAPP-A2 levels positively correlated with weight and length and inversely with IGFBP-4 and STC-1; IGF-I and PAPP-A2 were associated with length.

Conclusions:

  • Serum levels of STCs and PAPPAs vary in neonates based on their length/weight and PI.
  • These findings suggest that STCs and PAPPAs play a significant role in regulating intrauterine growth and/or neonatal nutritional status.
Abstract

Keywords:
IGF-IIGFBPneonatepappalysinponderal indexsmall for gestational agestanniocalcin

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