Vitamin D Metabolites in Mother-Infant Dyads and Associated Clinical Outcomes in a Population of Nigerian Women.

Low levels of vitamin D in maternal and cord blood have been associated with neonatal sepsis. This study assessed the association of vitamin D metabolites (25(OH)D, 3-epi-25(OH)D, and 24,25(OH)D) levels in maternal and cord blood with newborn sepsis evaluation in Nigerian mother-infant dyads. Maternal and cord blood from 534 mothers and 536 newborns were processed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Spearman correlation was used to compare continuous variables, Mann-Whitney for dichotomous variables, and Kruskal-Wallis for two or more groups. High cord percent 3-epi-25(OH)D levels were positively associated with newborn evaluation for sepsis ( = 0.036), while maternal and cord 25(OH)D and 24,25(OH)D levels were not. Being employed was positively associated with maternal and newborn 3-epi-25(OH)D concentrations ( = 0.007 and = 0.005, respectively). The maternal 3-epi-25(OH)D and percent 3-epi-25(OH)D were positively associated with vaginal delivery ( = 0.013 and = 0.012, respectively). Having a weight-for-age Z-score ≤ -2 was positively associated with newborn percent 3-epi-25(OH)D levels ( = 0.004), while a weight-for-length Z-score ≤ -3 was positively associated with maternal and newborn percent 3-epi-25(OH)D levels ( = 0.044 and = 0.022, respectively). Our study highlights the need to further investigate the biological role of 3-epi-25(OH)D and its clinical significance in fetal growth and newborn outcome.