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. 2010 Oct;23(10):1119-28.
doi: 10.3109/14767050903572190.

Maternal and neonatal circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with pre-eclampsia and a small-for-gestational age neonate

Shali Mazaki-Tovi  1 , Edi Vaisbuch, Roberto Romero, Juan Pedro Kusanovic, Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa, Sun Kwon Kim, Chia-Ling Nhan-Chang, Ricardo Gomez, Zeynep Alpay Savasan, Ichchha Madan, Bo Hyun Yoon, Lami Yeo, Pooja Mittal, Giovanna Ogge, Juan M Gonzalez, Sonia S Hassan
Affiliations

Maternal and neonatal circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with pre-eclampsia and a small-for-gestational age neonate

Shali Mazaki-Tovi et al. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: Maternal circulating visfatin concentrations are higher in patients with a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) neonate than in those who delivered an appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) neonate or in those with pre-eclampsia. It has been proposed that enhanced transfer of visfatin from the foetal to maternal circulation may account for the high concentrations of maternal visfatin observed in patients with an SGA neonate. The aims of this study were: (1) to determine whether cord blood visfatin concentrations differ between normal neonates, SGA neonates and newborns of pre-eclamptic mothers; and (2) to assess the relationship between maternal and foetal circulating visfatin concentrations in patients with an SGA neonate and those with pre-eclampsia.

Study design: This cross-sectional study included 88 pregnant women and their neonates, as well as 22 preterm neonates in the following groups: (1) 44 normal pregnant women at term and their AGA neonates; (2) 22 normotensive pregnant women and their SGA neonates; (3) 22 women with pre-eclampsia and their neonates; and (4) 22 preterm neonates delivered following spontaneous preterm labour without funisitis or histologic chorioamnionitis, matched for gestational age with infants of pre-eclamptic mothers. Maternal plasma and cord blood visfatin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics were used for analyses.

Results: (1) The median visfatin concentration was lower in umbilical cord blood than in maternal circulation, in normal pregnancy, SGA and pre-eclampsia groups (p<0.001 for all comparisons); (2) the median cord blood visfatin concentrations did not differ significantly between term AGA or SGA neonates, infants of mothers with pre-eclampsia and their gestational-age-matched preterm AGA neonates; (3) maternal and cord blood visfatin concentrations correlated only in the normal term group (r=0.48, p=0.04).

Conclusion: Circulating visfatin concentrations are lower in the foetal than in the maternal circulation and did not significantly differ between the study groups. Thus, it is unlikely that the foetal circulation is the source of the high maternal visfatin concentrations reported in patients with an SGA neonate.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Comparison between umbilical cord plasma visfatin plasma concentration in normal neonates, SGA newborns, infants of patients with preeclampsia and preterm neonate
The median umbilical cord plasma concentrations of normal neonates (7.2 ng/ml, interquartile range [IQR] 5.8–8.0), SGA newborns (7.1 ng/ml, IQR: 5.7–9.5) and infants of patients with preeclampsia (7.4 ng/ml, IQR: 5.6–8.2) did not differ significantly (p=0.8, Kruskal-Wallis). Similarly, the median umbilical cord plasma visfatin concentrations did not differ significantly between neonates of patients with preeclampsia and those delivered preterm without preeclampsia matched for gestational age (7.4 ng/ml, IQR: 5.6–8.2 vs. 7.1 ng/ml, IQR: 6.4–7.7).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Comparison between umbilical cord blood and maternal plasma visfatin concentrations in normal gestations (A), pregnancies complicated by an SGA neonate (B) or preeclampsia (C)
The median maternal plasma visfatin concentration was higher than in the umbilical blood in the normal pregnancy group (18.7 ng/ml, IQR: 12.7–21.3 vs. 7.3 ng/ml, IQR: 6.1–7.9, respectively, p<0.001), SGA group (18.0 ng/ml, IQR: 16.4–23.0 vs. 6.7 ng/ml, IQR: 5.7–8.5, p<0.001),and in the preeclampsia group (16.5 ng/ml, IQR: 13.1–22.6 vs. 7.6 ng/ml, IQR: 6.4–8.2, p<0.001).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Comparison between umbilical cord blood and maternal plasma visfatin concentrations in normal gestations (A), pregnancies complicated by an SGA neonate (B) or preeclampsia (C)
The median maternal plasma visfatin concentration was higher than in the umbilical blood in the normal pregnancy group (18.7 ng/ml, IQR: 12.7–21.3 vs. 7.3 ng/ml, IQR: 6.1–7.9, respectively, p<0.001), SGA group (18.0 ng/ml, IQR: 16.4–23.0 vs. 6.7 ng/ml, IQR: 5.7–8.5, p<0.001),and in the preeclampsia group (16.5 ng/ml, IQR: 13.1–22.6 vs. 7.6 ng/ml, IQR: 6.4–8.2, p<0.001).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Comparison between umbilical cord blood and maternal plasma visfatin concentrations in normal gestations (A), pregnancies complicated by an SGA neonate (B) or preeclampsia (C)
The median maternal plasma visfatin concentration was higher than in the umbilical blood in the normal pregnancy group (18.7 ng/ml, IQR: 12.7–21.3 vs. 7.3 ng/ml, IQR: 6.1–7.9, respectively, p<0.001), SGA group (18.0 ng/ml, IQR: 16.4–23.0 vs. 6.7 ng/ml, IQR: 5.7–8.5, p<0.001),and in the preeclampsia group (16.5 ng/ml, IQR: 13.1–22.6 vs. 7.6 ng/ml, IQR: 6.4–8.2, p<0.001).
Figure 3
Figure 3. Correlation between umbilical cord blood and maternal plasma visfatin concentrations in the normal gestation
Maternal and cord blood plasma visfatin concentrations correlated only in the normal term group (r= 0.48, p=0.04)
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