[The role and secretion of prolactin in the human fetus and neonate (author's transl)].

Prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), and estradiol-17 beta (E2-17 beta) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay in umbilical venous serum from 118 full term normal infants and 11 anencephalic infants. In anencephalic infants, the concentration of GH:2.4 +/- 1.6 ng/ml (mean +/- SD, n = 11) and E2-17 beta:2.3 +/- 1.4 ng/ml (n = 6) were significantly lower than those in normal infants (GH: 16.5 +/- 9.0 ng/nl n = 65; E2-17 beta:12.4 +/- 8.0 ng/ml, n = 108). There was no significant difference of PRL levels between normal infants (324 +/- 118 ng/ml, n = 118) and anencephalic infants (253 +/- 86 ng/ml, n = 10). There was significant positive correlations between PRL and E2-17 beta levels in normal infants (p less than 0.01), and was significant negative correlation between PRL levels and birth weight (p less than 0.01). These results suggested that PRL secretion is affected by estrogens during fetal period and fetal PRL has some effects for the regulation of fetal growth as somatogenic hormone.