Meconium Proteins as Potential Biomarkers for Fetal Iron Status and Intrauterine Inflammation | Chapter 13 |Disease and Health: Research Developments Vol. 4

The lack of specific biological materials and biomarkers limits our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying intrauterine regulation of iron supply to the fetus. Determining the meconium content of proteins functionally related to the regulation of iron metabolism may explain their role in fetal development. This study assesses the homeostasis of iron metabolism in intrauterine fetal development by determining the concentrations and interdependencies in neonatal meconium proteins commonly recognized in laboratory diagnostics for the assessment of iron status. Ferritin, transferrin, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase (MPO), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and calprotectin were determined by ELISA in meconium samples obtained from 122 neonates. Statistical analysis was performed by using Statistica Version 13 (StatSoft Inc., TIBCO Software Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA). There were strong correlations between the meconium concentrations of haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL (p < 0.05). Meconium concentrations of ferritin were several-fold higher than the concentrations of the other proteins, with the exception of calprotectin whose concentration was approximately three-fold higher than that of ferritin. Meconium ceruloplasmin concentration significantly correlated with the concentrations of MPO, NGAL, lactoferrin, and calprotectin. Strong correlations between specific proteins in meconium, such as haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL, suggest their collaborative involvement in iron homeostasis within the fetus. Furthermore, the study's findings provide valuable information about the potential role of ceruloplasmin in regulating neutrophil activity in the intrauterine environment.

 

Author (s) Details

 

Ewa Skarzynska
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland

 

Artur Jakimiuk
Department of Obstetrics, Women’s Diseases and Gynecologic Oncology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland and Center for Reproductive Health, Institute of Mother and Child, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland.

 

Tadeusz Issat
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Mother and Child, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland.

 

Barbara Lisowska-Myjak
Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.

 

Please see the book here:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/dhrd/v4/4167

Utilizing Meconium Transferrin and Ferritin as Metrics for Fetal Homeostasis | Chapter 5 | Innovations in Biological Science Vol. 1

 Aim: The aim of this study was to measure transferrin and ferritin concentrations in meconium specimens and assess their possible correlation with birth weight in study neonates.

Introduction: The molecular mechanisms regulating homeostasis in the developing fetus have not been satisfactorily elucidated. Meconium deposited intrauterine contains substances accumulated in the intestine that may indicate the development and growth of the fetus.

Objective: Measurement of transferrin and ferritin concentrations in meconium and checking the interconnections between these proteins with their effects on the development and growth of the fetus.

Methodology: The study was conducted in a group of 125 newborns, whose first portion of meconium was collected immediately after birth. This clinical material was homogenized. Ferritin and transferrin concentrations were determined in homogenates using commercial ELISA tests (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).

Results: Higher birth weight was associated with lower ferritin concentrations in meconium (r = −0.22, p = 0.015). In neonates with a birth weight of more than 3750 g, there was a positive correlation between transferrin and ferritin concentrations (r = 0.51, p = 0.003). With meconium transferrin concentrations above 43.52 µg/g, a negative correlation between transferrin and ferritin was established (r = −0.37, p = 0.036), while with transferrin concentrations below 43.52 µg/g, the correlations between the birth weight and the meconium transferrin and ferritin concentrations were negative (r = −0.61, p < 0.001 and r = −0.43, p = 0.017, respectively).

Conclusion: The concentrations of transferrin and ferritin in meconium show mutual associations, the statistical significance of which increases proportionally with the weight of the newborn.  Setting reference limits for ferritin and meconium transferrin concentrations, as well as their correlation with clinical parameters during pregnancy, may help evaluate how intrauterine life affects the neonate's health and how well it adjusts to extrauterine life.

Author(s) Details:

Ewa Skarzynska,
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.

Klaudia Mularczyk,
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.

Tadeusz Issat,
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Mother and Child, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland.

Artur Jakimiuk,
Department of Obstetrics, Women’s Diseases and Gynecologic Oncology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland and Center for Reproductive Health, Institute of Mother and Child, 01-211 Warsaw, Poland.

Barbara Lisowska-Myjak,
Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/IBS-V1/article/view/14014