Lactoferrin level in maternal serum is related to birth anthropometry – an evidence for an indirect biomarker of intrauterine homeostasis?

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relation between level of antibodies against lactoferrin (LfAb) in maternal serum (MS) and birth anthropometry of healthy full-term newborns.

Methods: The study included 105 pairs of mother-newborn. MS LfAb level was determined using ELISA kit. Spearman’s correlation and Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied to establish the relationship between MS LfAb level and birth weight (BW), birth weight-to-birth length ratio (BW/BL), and head circumference (HC) of newborns.

Results: The U-shaped relation of MS LfAb and BW was demonstrated (p = .019). Negative correlation between MS LfAb and BW/BL was observed (p = .016). The most optimal birth weight and body proportion were observed in newborns of mothers with MS LfAb level of 49 ± 4 U/ml.

Conclusions: Significant relationship between MS LfAb and birth anthropometry suggests serum Lf of pregnant women can be considered as a promising indirect biomarker of intrauterine homeostasis, verifiable noninvasively already during pregnancy and thus allowing predict, or even prevent, potential short- and long-term postnatal health consequences.

Keywords:

• Birth weight
• body proportion
• fetal development
• inflammation in pregnancy
• lactoferrin antibodies

Acknowledgements

Authors wish to thank professor Wojciech Witkiewicz, director of Provincial Specialist Hospital in Wrocław, Research and Development Center and Janusz Malinowski PhD, the head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ward, for their permission to carry out the research in the hospital and ward. Many thanks also for midwives Mrs. Barbara Smolińska and Mrs. Elżbieta Ciesielska for collecting maternal blood samples and their kindness.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, Wroclaw University of Environmrntal and Life Sciences (under grant nr B030/0015/16), Faculty of Pedagogical Sciences, University of Lower Silesia, and Wroclaw Centre of Biotechnology, program the Leading National Research Centre (KNOW) for years 2014–2018.