Ghrelin in small-for-gestational age (SGA) newborn babies: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND

Small-for-gestational newborn babies may have long-term metabolic consequences. Among the main hormones possibly involved in foetal growth regulation are the IGFs, IGFBPs and the recently described ghrelin.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the levels of desacyl-ghrelin, IGF-1, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-3 in children Small-for-gestational age (SGA) and children adequate-for-gestational age (AGA).

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional and comparative study.

SUBJECTS

We included 40 children SGA and 40 children AGA.

MEASUREMENTS

Blood sample was taken a week after birth and measuring hormonal levels were done by ELISA.

RESULTS

SGA babies had lower IGF-1, IGFBP-3 and leptin levels, but higher ghrelin and IGFBP-1 levels. Birth weight was associated independently with ghrelin and IGFBP-1 (negatively) and IGFBP-3 (positively). Ghrelin circulating levels were associated negative and independently with IGFBP-3 and triglycerides in the mother.

CONCLUSIONS

We interpreted these findings to indicate that diminished body weight in newborns induce different adaptive signals, some of them mediated by IGF-1/IGFBP-3, ghrelin or by IGFBP-1. This regulation is congruent with the proposed role of ghrelin to adaptation to under-nutrition favouring lipid accumulation. CONCyTEG grant number 05-16-K117-028.