Neonatal Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Unit of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, Università di Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy.
Nutrients. 2022 Mar 30;14(7):1451. doi: 10.3390/nu14071451.
Background: Leptin is a hormone regulating lifetime energy homeostasis and metabolism and its concentration is important starting from prenatal life. We aimed to investigate the association of perinatal leptin concentrations with growth trajectories during the first year of life. Methods: Prospective, longitudinal study, measuring leptin concentration in maternal plasma before delivery, cord blood (CB), and mature breast milk and correlating their impact on neonate’s bodyweight from birth to 1 year of age, in 16 full-term (FT), 16 preterm (PT), and 13 intrauterine growth-restricted (IUGR) neonates. Results: Maternal leptin concentrations were highest in the PT group, followed by IUGR and FT, with no statistical differences among groups (p = 0.213). CB leptin concentrations were significantly higher in FT compared with PT and IUGR neonates (PT vs. FT; IUGR vs. FT: p < 0.001). Maternal milk leptin concentrations were low, with no difference among groups. Maternal leptin and milk concentrations were negatively associated with all the neonates’ weight changes (p = 0.017 and p = 0.006), while the association with CB leptin was not significant (p = 0.051). Considering each subgroup individually, statistical analysis confirmed the previous results in PT and IUGR infants, with the highest value in the PT subgroup. In addition, this group’s results negatively correlated with CB leptin (p = 0.026) and showed the largest % weight increase. Conclusions: Leptin might play a role in neonatal growth trajectories, characterized by an inverse correlation with maternal plasma and milk. PT infants showed the highest correlation with hormone levels, regardless of source, seeming the most affected group by leptin guidance. Low leptin levels appeared to contribute to critical neonates’ ability to recover a correct body weight at 1 year. An eventual non-physiological “catch-up growth” should be monitored, and leptin perinatal levels may be an indicative tool. Further investigations are needed to strengthen the results.
瘦素是一种调节终生能量平衡和代谢的激素，其浓度从产前开始就很重要。我们旨在研究围产期瘦素浓度与生命第一年生长轨迹的关系。
前瞻性纵向研究，在 16 名足月（FT）、16 名早产（PT）和 13 名宫内生长受限（IUGR）新生儿中，测量母亲分娩前、脐带血（CB）和成熟母乳中的瘦素浓度，并将其与新生儿从出生到 1 岁的体重相关联。
PT 组母亲的瘦素浓度最高，其次是 IUGR 和 FT，各组间无统计学差异（p = 0.213）。FT 新生儿的 CB 瘦素浓度明显高于 PT 和 IUGR 新生儿（PT 与 FT 相比；IUGR 与 FT 相比：p < 0.001）。母乳中的瘦素浓度较低，各组间无差异。母体瘦素和母乳浓度与所有新生儿体重变化呈负相关（p = 0.017 和 p = 0.006），而与 CB 瘦素的相关性无统计学意义（p = 0.051）。考虑到每个亚组的个体，在 PT 和 IUGR 婴儿中，统计学分析证实了之前的结果，PT 亚组的数值最高。此外，该组的结果与 CB 瘦素呈负相关（p = 0.026），并显示出最大的体重增加百分比。
瘦素可能在新生儿的生长轨迹中发挥作用，与母体血浆和母乳呈负相关。PT 婴儿与激素水平的相关性最高，无论来源如何，似乎都是受瘦素影响最大的群体。低瘦素水平似乎有助于临界新生儿在 1 岁时恢复正确体重。应监测最终可能出现的非生理性“追赶生长”，围产期瘦素水平可能是一个指示性工具。需要进一步的研究来加强结果。
