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Clinical significance of amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor in colostrum

  • Maternal-Fetal Medicine
  • Published:
Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Colostrum contains a wide variety of crucial nutritional elements including growth factors for newborn infants to adapt to the extrauterine environment.

Objective

To investigate the clinical significance of epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in milk during the first month of lactation.

Methods

The concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), amphiregulin (AR) and transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) in milk sampled from a total of 31 normal mothers at days 1–3, 5, and 30 postpartum were examined using ELISA.

Results

At days 1–3, the concentration of EGF was extremely high [131.6 ± 20.4 (mean ± SEM) ng/ml] compared to that of AR (4,197.2 ± 1,055.2 pg/ml) or TGF-α (261.7 ± 33.6 pg/ml), while the concentration of AR was significantly elevated compared to that of TGF-α. At days 5 and 30, the concentration of EGF was significantly elevated compared to that of AR or TGF-α. In 16 mothers among the same 31 subjects, samples were longitudinally obtained on days 1, 2, 5, and 30 postpartum. Concentrations of AR were higher on days 1 and 2 and rapidly declined to below 1 ng/ml on day 5, and were maintained at lower levels on day 30. Concentrations of EGF were high on day 1 (greater than 10 ng/ml) but gradually declined by days 2, 5, and 30. Concentrations of TGF-α remained at lower levels of below 1 ng/ml throughout the lactation period from days 1 to 30.

Conclusion

These results suggested that EGF and amphiregulin in colostrum might contribute to the early stage of development of neonatal gastrointestinal function.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by funds (No. 096008) from the Central Research Institute of Fukuoka University.

Conflict of interest

There are no conflicts of interest or competing financial interests related to this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Takeshi Nojiri, Tatsuya Fukami, Hirotsugu Obama & Shingo Miyamoto

  2. Center for Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, Fukuoka University Hospital, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan

    Toshiyuki Yoshizato

  3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Hiroshi Yagi

  4. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Fusanori Yotsumoto

Authors
  1. Takeshi Nojiri
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  2. Toshiyuki Yoshizato
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  3. Tatsuya Fukami
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  4. Hirotsugu Obama
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  5. Hiroshi Yagi
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  6. Fusanori Yotsumoto
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  7. Shingo Miyamoto
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Correspondence to Toshiyuki Yoshizato.

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Nojiri, T., Yoshizato, T., Fukami, T. et al. Clinical significance of amphiregulin and epidermal growth factor in colostrum. Arch Gynecol Obstet 286, 643–647 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2365-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-012-2365-8

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