Leptin, insulin-like growth factor I and its binding proteins I and 3 as indicators of pre-natal and post-natal growth potentials

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted on 50 newborn infants [20 females and 30 males] who were born in Menoufiya University Hospital or Tanta University Hospital. Among these infants 25 cases were full term appropriate for gestational age [group I or controls] while the other 25 cases were low birth weight small for gestational age [LB W-SGA] patients [group II]. Cases with maternal pre-eclampsia and infants of diabetic mothers were excluded. The study also included the mothers of these two groups [50 mothers]. The aims were to evaluate cord serum IGF-I, IGFBP-3, IGFBP-1 and leptin as indicators of prenatal and postnatal growth potentials and to correlate between maternal and fetal concentrations of these parameters. History and clinical examination including anthropometric measurements [birth weight, length, head circumference and chest circumference] were done and cord serum leptin, IGF-l, IGFBP-I and IGFBP-3 were measured. For mothers of studied groups, full history and through clinical examination were done including general nutritional status, blood pressure, weight, height, parity and any complication. Also their serum leptin, IGF-l, IGFBP-I and IGFBP-3 were measured. We followed up our cases with intrauterine growth retardation, [IUGR] at birth [group II] who were observed after 6 months whether catch up of weight and length has occurred [catch up subgroup] or not [non-catch up subgroup]. Cord serum leptin, IGF-I and IGFBP-3 were significantly lower while IGFBP-I higher in LBW SGA infants [group II] than that in normal controls [group I]. These parameters correlated well with birth anthropometric measurements in the studied cases. On the other hand, maternal serum levels of leptin, IGF-I, IGFBP-I and IGFBP-3 did not correlate significantly with their levels in cord serum of the studied infants nor with birth anthropometric measurements. On follow up after 6 months, infants with successful catch up of growth showed higher birth weights and cord serum levels of IGF-I than those without growth catch up. Cord serum leptin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 could be useful in evaluating preterm small gestational age [SGA] infants and correlate with their anthropometric parameters at birth. Cord serum IGF-l and birth weight can be predictive of the future catch up potential of growth in IUGR infants. Maternal anthropometric parameters and maternal serum leptin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 did not correlate to the infant's parameters at birth [anthropometric or cord serum levels] nor to the potential for successful catch up of growth during the following six months