The Concentrations of Retinol-Binding Protein, Prealbumin, and Transferrin in the Sera of Newly Delivered Mothers and Children of Various Ages

Abstract

Umbilical-cord blood from 50 full-term newborns and capillary or venous blood from 226 children varying in age from 6 weeks to 16 years was examined for content of retinol-binding protein (RBP), prealbumin, and transferrin. The mean levels of the three proteins in the newborns were 21 μg/ml, 128 μg/ml, and 1.65 mg/ml, respectively. The corresponding maternal levels were 39 μg/ml, 231 μg/ml, and 3.2 mg/ml. Paired serum values of mothers and newborns showed a correlation for both RBP and prealbumin but not for transferrin. The low levels of RBP at birth (about 50 per cent of that of nonpregnant women) increased rapidly over the first 6 months to a maximum of 31 μg/ml but declined thereafter to a mean level of about 26 μg/ml, which was maintained until the age of puberty, when adult values were gradually attained. In serum, the prealbumin levels showed a similar development, whereas the transferrin values reached constant adult levels as early as 2 years of age.

Key Words:

• Placental transport
• prealbumin
• retinol-binding protein
• transferrin
• vitamin A