Testosterone measured from amniotic fluid and maternal plasma shows no significant association with directional asymmetry in newborn digit ratio (2D:4D)

AbstractFoetal sex hormones can have powerful and far-reaching effects on later phenotype. However, obtaining accurate measurements is difficult for ethical reasons, and researchers often employ proxy variables to examine their effects. The relative length of the second and fourth fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is frequently used for this purpose, as it is hypothesized to index variance in prenatal androgen and oestrogen exposure. Most studies employing this method examine digit ratio for the right hand (R2D:4D) and/or left hand (L2D:4D), though the mean value (M2D:4D) (i.e., the average of R2D:4D and L2D:4D) and directional asymmetry (D[R–L]) (i.e., R2D:4D minus L2D:4D) are also commonly used. As no published studies have examined M2D:4D or D[R-L] in relation to testosterone measured from amniotic fluid, we conducted a secondary analysis of data published by Ventura et al. The sample comprises 106 mothers from Portugal who underwent amniocentesis during the second trimester and their neonates. Newborn M2D:4D was negatively correlated with amniotic testosterone in females (P<0.05) but not in males; no significant association was observed between amniotic testosterone and D[R–L] in either sex. In addition, we examined testosterone measured from maternal circulation during the second trimester, and found that it was not a significant predictor of M2D:4D or D[R–L] in male or female infants. Further research should aim to measure the ratio of testosterone to oestradiol present in amniotic fluid and maternal plasma, to examine whether either is a predictor of digit ratio variables at different stages of postnatal development.

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Digit ratio (2D:4D) and amniotic testosterone and estradiol: an attempted replication of Lutchmaya et al. (2004)

Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease ◽

10.1017/s2040174420001294 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Gareth Richards ◽

Wendy V. Browne ◽

Mihaela Constantinescu

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Digit Ratio ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Left Hand ◽

Digit Ratios ◽

Hormone Exposure ◽

The Right ◽

Digit Length ◽

Attempted Replication

Abstract The ratio of length between the second (index) and fourth (ring) fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is frequently employed as a retrospective marker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Lutchmaya et al. (2004) reported that the ratio of testosterone (T) to estradiol (E) present in second-trimester amniotic fluid was negatively correlated with digit ratios for the right hand (but not the left hand) in a sample of 29 children at 2-year follow-up. This observation is frequently cited as evidence for the measure’s validity but has not been replicated. We therefore present the findings of another study of amniotic T and E that did not find evidence for these effects at 4½-year follow-up. The confidence intervals were large, the direction of correlations observed was generally erratic, and the overall findings question the premise that second-trimester sex hormones affect the development of digit length ratios in humans.

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Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Amniotic Testosterone and Estradiol: An Attempted Replication of Lutchmaya et al. (2004)

10.1101/2020.07.10.197269 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Gareth Richards ◽

Wendy V. Browne ◽

Mihaela Constantinescu

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Digit Ratio ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Left Hand ◽

Digit Ratios ◽

Hormone Exposure ◽

The Right ◽

Digit Length ◽

Attempted Replication

AbstractThe ratio of length between the second (index) and fourth (ring) fingers (digit ratio or 2D:4D) is frequently employed as a retrospective marker of prenatal sex hormone exposure. Lutchmaya et al. (2004) reported that the ratio of testosterone (T) to estradiol (E) present in second trimester amniotic fluid was negatively correlated with digit ratios for the right hand (but not the left hand) in a sample of 29 children at 2-year follow-up. This observation is frequently cited as evidence for the measure’s validity but has not been replicated. We therefore present the findings of another study of amniotic T and E that did not find evidence for these effects at 4½-year follow-up. The confidence intervals were large, the direction of correlations observed was generally erratic, and the overall findings therefore question the premise that second trimester sex hormones affect the development of digit length ratios in humans.

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Determination of insulin-like growth factor-2 in feto-maternal circulation during human pregnancy

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/acta.0.1270359 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 127 (4) ◽

pp. 359-365 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Toshiro Kubota ◽

Shusaku Kamada ◽

Makoto Taguchi ◽

Takeshi Aso

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Umbilical Vein ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Main Peak ◽

Gel Chromatography ◽

High Concentration ◽

Maternal Circulation ◽

Human Pregnancy ◽

Fetal Plasma

In order to clarify the roles of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) on the human maternal-fetal environment, IGF-2 and IGF-1 levels were investigated in human plasma and amniotic fluid during pregnancy. Initially, new radio-immunoassay (RIA) systems for human IGF-2 could be developed. The sensitivity of this assay was 17.5 pg/tube and the cross-reactivity with IGF-1 was 0.64%. The pattern of change of maternal plasma IGF-2 in early pregnancy differed from that of IGF-1, but both IGF levels increased progressively in the second half of gestation, and decreased to non-pregnancy levels in the puerperium. Maternal levels of IGF-2 were approximately seven times greater than those of IGF-1. The ratio of IGF-2 to IGF-1 was 3.2 in amniotic fluid. The IGF concentrations in amniotic fluid obtained in the second trimester were significantly greater than those of term specimens, and closely related to those of prolactin (PRL) in amniotic fluid. The highest IGF-2 to IGF-1 ratio (1 5.9) was found in umbilical vein plasma. On Sephadex G-150 gel-chromatography of maternal and fetal plasma at term, two apparent peaks of unsaturated IGF-2 binding protein (BP) could be detected in both 150 and 40 kilo dalton (kD) regions. One main peak of unsaturated IGF-2 BP could be determined in the 40 kD region in the amniotic fluid at term. High concentration of IGF-2 could be detected in feto-maternal circulation during human pregnancy. Moreover, it is strongly suggested that the releasing systems of IGFs in amniotic fluid are different from those in maternal or umbilical circulation.

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Maternal plasma and second-trimester amniotic fluid levels of placenta growth factor and the development of preeclampsia

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/j.ajog.2003.10.090 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 189 (6) ◽

pp. S90

Author(s):

Jonathan Mays ◽

James Ducey ◽

Adi Davidov ◽

John Nguyen ◽

Mitchell Maimen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Factor ◽

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Placenta Growth Factor ◽

Fluid Levels

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Does maternal-fetal transfer of creatine occur in pregnant sheep?

AJP Endocrinology and Metabolism ◽

10.1152/ajpendo.00450.2016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 313 (1) ◽

pp. E75-E83 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Syed Baharom ◽

Robert De Matteo ◽

Stacey Ellery ◽

Paul Della Gatta ◽

Clinton R. Bruce ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Creatine Monohydrate ◽

Maternal Circulation ◽

Western Blots ◽

Creatine Transporter ◽

Fetal Tissues ◽

Arterial Blood ◽

Pregnant Sheep ◽

Near Term

Our aim was to determine the disposition of creatine in ovine pregnancy and whether creatine is transferred across the placenta from mother to fetus. Pregnant ewes received either 1) a continuous intravenous infusion of creatine monohydrate or saline from 122 to 131 days gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood and amniotic fluid samples collected daily for creatine analysis and fetal tissues collected at necropsy at 133 days for analysis of creatine content, or 2) a single systemic bolus injection of [13C]creatine monohydrate at 130 days of gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood, uterine vein blood, and amniotic fluid samples collected before and for 4 h after injection and analyzed for creatine, creatine isotopic enrichment, and guanidinoacetic acid (GAA; precursor of creatine) concentrations. Presence of the creatine transporter-1 (SLC6A8) and l-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT; the enzyme synthesizing GAA) proteins were determined by Western blots of placental cotyledons. The 10-day creatine infusion increased maternal plasma creatine concentration three- to fourfold ( P < 0.05) without significantly changing fetal arterial, amniotic fluid, fetal tissues, or placental creatine content. Maternal arterial 13C enrichment was increased ( P < 0.05) after bolus [13C]creatine injection without change of fetal arterial 13C enrichment. SLC6A8 and AGAT proteins were identified in placental cotyledons, and GAA concentration was significantly higher in uterine vein than maternal artery plasma. Despite the presence of SLC6A8 protein in cotyledons, these results suggest that creatine is not transferred from mother to fetus in near-term sheep and that the ovine utero-placental unit releases GAA into the maternal circulation.

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Second trimester maternal plasma and amniotic fluid adipokines in women who will develop gestational diabetes mellitus

Gynecological Endocrinology ◽

10.3109/09513590.2015.1079611 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (12) ◽

pp. 934-938 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Arrigo Fruscalzo ◽

Ambrogio P. Londero ◽

Jessica Biasizzo ◽

Francesco Curcio ◽

Serena Bertozzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Gestational Diabetes ◽

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus ◽

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Second Trimester

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Determination of prolactin, growth hormone, β-endorphin, and cortisol in both maternal plasma and amniotic fluid during human gestation

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/acta.0.1210297 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 121 (2) ◽

pp. 297-303 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Toshiro Kubota ◽

Hiroo Tsuzuki ◽

Motoi Saito

Keyword(s):

Cesarean Section ◽

Amniotic Fluid ◽

Maternal Blood ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Full Term ◽

Elective Cesarean Section ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Elective Cesarean ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

Plasma Prl

Abstract. This study focuses on PRL, GH, β-endorphin and cortisol in maternal blood and amniotic fluid during human pregnancy. Maternal blood and amniotic fluid samples were obtained from 18 normal pregnant women in the second trimester, 12 full-term gravidas having spontaneous delivery, and 10 full-term gravidas having elective cesarean section. Two gravidas bearing anencephalic fetuses in the third trimester were also studied. In the second trimester women, levels of PRL (3215.9 ± 458.9 μg/l), GH (19.1 ± 1.7 μg/l) and β-endorphin (11.1 ± 0.9 pmol/l) were significantly higher in the amniotic fluid than in maternal plasma. In addition, PRL was significantly correlated with β-endorphin (r = 0.670) and with GH (r = 0.547) in the amniotic fluid. However, amniotic fluid cortisol levels (0.27 ± 0.18 nmol/l) were significantly lower than plasma cortisol levels. The amniotic fluid of the women with anencephalic fetuses had normal levels of PRL, GH and β-endorphin. In full-term gravidas, plasma PRL levels were significantly lower in women with vaginal delivery than in those with elective cesarean section, and there was a significant negative correlation between plasma PRL and β-endorphin, and between plasma PRL and cortisol levels. Plasma GH levels in women with vaginal delivery showed no signficant difference from those in women with cesarean section. Examination of amniotic fluid yielded no significant differences in the levels of PRL, β-endorphin and GH between these two groups. The authors conclude that the hormone releasing system in amniotic fluid seems to be independent of that in maternal plasma during pregnancy, and that the stress of labour has a significant effect on plasma PRL, β-endorphin and cortisol levels in maternal plasma but not on those in amniotic fluid.

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