Department of Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry, Medical University of Warsaw, ul. Banacha 1, 02-097, Warsaw, Poland.
Clinical Department of Obstetrics, Female Diseases and Gynecological Oncology, Central Clinical Hospital of the Ministry of the Interior, Warsaw, Poland.
Biometals. 2018 Feb;31(1):123-129. doi: 10.1007/s10534-017-0073-3. Epub 2017 Dec 29.
Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and lactoferrin (Lf) are among the key components of the innate immune system due to their ability to bind iron with high affinity and thus control inflammation. The aim of this study was to test the use of NGAL and LF measurements in meconium for the assessment of the intrauterine homeostasis. NGAL and Lf concentrations were measured using ELISA kits in all serial meconium portions (n = 81) collected from 20 healthy neonates. Mean ± SD meconium concentration of Lf was 45.07 ± 78.53 µg/g and more than 1000-fold higher compared with that of NGAL at 1.93 ± 2.46 ng/g. The correlation between the two proteins (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001) was found only for portions with Lf concentrations > 25 μg/g. High variability of NGAL and Lf concentrations in meconium and their correlations prove their key role as biomarkers of the fetal condition in utero. NGAL and Lf measured in meconium are candidate biomarkers for fetal iron status.
中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白（NGAL）和乳铁蛋白（Lf）是先天免疫系统的关键组成部分，因为它们能够高亲和力地结合铁，从而控制炎症。本研究旨在测试使用胎粪中的 NGAL 和 LF 测量值来评估宫内内稳态。使用 ELISA 试剂盒测量了 20 名健康新生儿收集的所有连续胎粪部分（n=81）中的 NGAL 和 Lf 浓度。Lf 的平均±SD 胎粪浓度为 45.07±78.53μg/g，比 NGAL 高 1000 多倍，NGAL 浓度为 1.93±2.46ng/g。仅在 Lf 浓度>25μg/g 的部分中发现两种蛋白质之间存在相关性（r=0.83，p<0.0001）。胎粪中 NGAL 和 Lf 浓度的高度可变性及其相关性证明了它们作为宫内胎儿状况生物标志物的关键作用。胎粪中测量的 NGAL 和 Lf 是胎儿铁状况的候选生物标志物。
