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Maternal neuropeptide galanin levels in pregnancies with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR): neurohormonal regulation of fetal weight

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Abstract

Aim

Galanin is a neuroendocrine peptide with diverse biological actions in humans. Here, we evaluated plasma galanin levels in pregnant women with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) to elucidate the mechanism underlying the causal link between regulatory neuropeptides and IUGR.

Material and methods

This prospective case–control study evaluated 40 IUGR pregnancies and 35 healthy body mass index (BMI) and age-matched second and third-trimester pregnant women at Istanbul Teaching and Research Hospital. Serums galanin levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit according to the manufacturer’s procedure.

Results

Median serum galanin levels were lower in the IUGR group (9.59 pg/ml) than in the control group (12.1 pg/ml), although statically insignificant. Galanin levels were significantly higher in the control group with a BMI ≥ 30 than in those with a BMI < 30; the IUGR group exhibited no significant difference. Galanin levels were higher in the control group premature births than in term pregnancies; the difference was insignificant in the IUGR group. Thus, IUGR minimally impacts circulating maternal galanin levels, indicating that while galanin might affect IUGR pathogenesis, it negligibly contributes to disease progression.

Conclusion

The lack of correlation between galanin levels and maternal BMI and preterm pregnancies suggests a blunted neuropeptide response to hormonal stimulus in IUGR pregnancies, compared with the positive association with maternal BMI and negative association with healthy preterm pregnancies.

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Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Abbreviations

IUGR:

Intrauterine growth restriction

BMI :

Body mass index

ELISA :

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

GW :

Gestational weeks

FBW :

Fetal birth weight

GH:

Growth hormone

GDM :

Gestational diabetes mellitus.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Isıl Turan Bakırcı M.D. from Perinatology Department.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Istanbul Teaching and Research Hospital, 34098, Istanbul, Turkey

    Berna Şermin Kılıç & Nil Atakul

  2. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Bezmialem Vakıf University Faculty of Medicine, 34093, Istanbul, Turkey

    Şahabettin Selek

  3. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Beykent University, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Yıldız Atamer

Authors
  1. Berna Şermin Kılıç
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  2. Nil Atakul
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  3. Şahabettin Selek
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  4. Yıldız Atamer
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Contributions

N.A., S.S., and B.S.K wrote the paper and analyzed data; B.S.K. provided essential materials; Y.A. and B.S.K. conducted research; S.S. and N.A. performed statistical analysis; B.S.K. designed research and had primary responsibility for final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Berna Şermin Kılıç.

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All participants were given informed consent to the clinical study following the Declaration of Helsinki protocol and the research was approved by the clinical research ethics committee of Istanbul Teaching and Research Hospital (No: 2143, approved in: 10/01/2020). Corresponding e-mail address: ieahetilckurul®gmail.com.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Kılıç, B.Ş., Atakul, N., Selek, Ş. et al. Maternal neuropeptide galanin levels in pregnancies with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR): neurohormonal regulation of fetal weight. Ir J Med Sci 192, 1259–1264 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-03132-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11845-022-03132-5

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