Complement components in 100 newborns and their mothers determined by electroimmunoassay

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Biochemistry
• Perinatal Medicine

Background:

• The complement system is crucial for innate immunity, involving numerous protein components.
• Understanding complement component levels during pregnancy and in newborns is vital for assessing immune function.
• Previous studies have reported varying complement levels in maternal and cord blood, necessitating further precise quantification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively measure specific complement components in maternal serum and infant cord blood.
• To compare these levels with established reference values for healthy adults.
• To investigate potential differences in complement protein concentrations between mothers in labor and their newborns.

Main Methods:

• Blood samples were collected from 100 healthy women in labor and their umbilical cords post-delivery.
• Electroimmunoassay was employed to quantify complement components (C1q, C1r, C1s, C1 IA, C2, P, D, I, H, C6, C7, C4, C3, B, C5, C).
• Measurements were performed on serum for most components and EDTA-plasma for C4, C3, B, C5, and C.

Main Results:

• Cord serum C7 concentrations were double those reported in previous functional assays.
• Infant cord blood showed 50-60% of adult levels for C1r, I, and C6, but 130% for component D.
• Maternal serum levels of C2, C4, C3, B, H, and C5 were 40-60% higher than reference adult values.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in complement component concentrations between maternal circulation during labor, neonatal circulation, and healthy adult reference ranges.
• The study highlights specific quantitative variations for complement components C7, C1r, I, C6, D, and others in newborns.
• Elevated maternal levels of several complement components during labor suggest an activated immune state.