Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland.
Department of Obstetrics, Women's Diseases and Gynecologic Oncology, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 25;25(13):6948. doi: 10.3390/ijms25136948.
The lack of specific biological materials and biomarkers limits our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying intrauterine regulation of iron supply to the fetus. Determining the meconium content of proteins commonly used in the laboratory to assess the transport, storage, and distribution of iron in the body may elucidate their roles in fetal development. Ferritin, transferrin, haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, lactoferrin, myeloperoxidase (MPO), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and calprotectin were determined by ELISA in meconium samples obtained from 122 neonates. There were strong correlations between the meconium concentrations of haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL ( < 0.05). Meconium concentrations of ferritin were several-fold higher than the concentrations of the other proteins, with the exception of calprotectin whose concentration was approximately three-fold higher than that of ferritin. Meconium ceruloplasmin concentration significantly correlated with the concentrations of MPO, NGAL, lactoferrin, and calprotectin. Correlations between the meconium concentrations of haptoglobin, transferrin, and NGAL may reflect their collaborative involvement in the storage and transport of iron in the intrauterine environment in line with their recognized biological properties. High meconium concentrations of ferritin may provide information about the demand for iron and its utilization by the fetus. The associations between ceruloplasmin and neutrophil proteins may indicate the involvement of ceruloplasmin in the regulation of neutrophil activity in the intrauterine environment.
由于缺乏特定的生物材料和生物标志物，我们对胎儿子宫内铁供应调节的机制知之甚少。测定粪便中常用于评估体内铁转运、储存和分布的常见蛋白质的含量，可能阐明其在胎儿发育中的作用。采用 ELISA 法测定 122 例新生儿胎粪样本中的铁蛋白、转铁蛋白、触珠蛋白、铜蓝蛋白、乳铁蛋白、髓过氧化物酶（MPO）、中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白（NGAL）和钙卫蛋白的含量。触珠蛋白、转铁蛋白和 NGAL 的胎粪浓度之间存在很强的相关性（<0.05）。铁蛋白的胎粪浓度是其他蛋白质的数倍，除了钙卫蛋白，其浓度大约是铁蛋白的三倍。胎粪铜蓝蛋白浓度与 MPO、NGAL、乳铁蛋白和钙卫蛋白的浓度显著相关。触珠蛋白、转铁蛋白和 NGAL 的胎粪浓度之间的相关性可能反映了它们在协同参与胎儿子宫内铁的储存和转运方面的作用，这符合它们公认的生物学特性。胎粪中高浓度的铁蛋白可能提供了关于胎儿对铁的需求及其利用情况的信息。铜蓝蛋白与中性粒细胞蛋白之间的关联可能表明铜蓝蛋白参与了子宫内中性粒细胞活性的调节。
