Background and Aims: Cord blood leptin may reflect the leptinemic status of a newborn at birth more accurately than the leptin values of blood collected from other sites. The present study was undertaken to determine the relationship of cord serum leptin concentration at birth with neonatal and maternal anthropometric parameters.
Materials and Methods: Blood was taken from the umbilical cord of the babies at delivery. Maternal anthropometric measurements were recorded at admission for delivery. Neonatal anthropometric measurements were recorded within 48 hours after delivery. Linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between cord serum leptin concentration and anthropometric parameters of the baby and the mother. Both Serum leptin and serum C-peptide levels were measured by chemiluminescence-based ELISA method.
Results: The leptin concentration (ng/ml, mean±SD) in cord blood was 39.13±14.44. Cord leptin levels correlated with birth weight (r=0.673, p<0.0001), ponderal index (r=0.732, p<0.0001) but it did not correlate with maternal body mass index, gestational age (r=0.135, p=0.349) at delivery or cord serum C-peptide concentration (r=-0.049, p=0.735) or placental weight (r=0.203, p=0.157).
Conclusion: There are associations between cord leptin concentration at delivery and birth weight, ponderal index (PI) of the babies but not body mass index (BMI) of the mothers. High leptin levels of the baby could represent an important feedback modulator of substrate supply and subsequently for adipose tissue status during late gestation.
(J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2007; 25 : 9-13)