Pyridoxal phosphate in cord blood of pre-eclamptic infants

ABSTRACT

Pyridoxal phosphate [vitamin B[6]] was measured in maternal and cord blood. The average plasma concentration in thirty women with normal pregnancy was 3.8 +/- 1.3 ng/ml, in thirty women with preeclampsia 2.5 +/- 0.8 ng/ml and in non pregnant women 6.2 +/- 1.7 ng/ml. The average cord blood concentration of normal infants was 12.65 +/- 3.09 ng/ml whereas that of infants of preeclamptic mothers was 6.02 +/- 7.6 ng/ml. This two fold difference of the concentrations was statistically significant. A positive correlation was found between Apgar scores and cord vitamin B[6] as well as maternal vitamin B[6] in the normal fullterm newborn and the newborn of preeclamptic pregnancy. We suggest that dietary supplementation with vitamin B[6] should be instituted in women at high risk for development of toxemia of pregnancy as one step in protecting the neurologic development of the fetus