RT Journal Article
T1 Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Cord Blood from Growth Restricted Fetuses with Doppler Alteration Compared to Adequate for Gestational Age Fetuses
A1 Pascual Mancho, Jara
A1 Pintado Recarte, María Del Pilar
A1 Morales Camino, Jorge C.
A1 Romero Román, Carlos
A1 Hernández Martín, Concepción
A1 Bravo Arribas, Coral
A1 Bujan, Julia
A1 Álvarez Mon, Melchor
A1 Ortega, Miguel A.
A1 De León Luis, Juan Antonio
AB Background and Objectives: Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a severe obstetric disease characterized by a low fetal size entailing a set of undesired consequences. For instance, previous studies have noticed a worrisome association between FGR with an abnormal neurodevelopment. However, the precise link between FGR and neurodevelopmental alterations are not yet fully understood yet. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a critical neurotrophin strongly implicated in neurodevelopmental and other neurological processes. In addition, serum levels of BDNF appears to be an interesting indicator of pathological pregnancies, being correlated with the neonatal brain levels. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyze the blood levels of BDNF in the cord blood from fetuses with FGR in comparison to those with weight appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Materials and Methods: In this study, 130 subjects were recruited: 91 in group A (AGA fetuses); 39 in group B (16 FGR fetuses with exclusively middle cerebral artery (MCA) pulsatility index (PI) < 5th percentile and 23 with umbilical artery (UA) PI > 95th percentile). Serum levels of BDNF were determined through ELISA reactions in these groups. Results: Our results show a significant decrease in cord blood levels of BDNF in FGR and more prominently in those with UA PI >95th percentile in comparison to AGA. FGR fetuses with exclusively decreased MCA PI below the 5th percentile also show reduced levels of BDNF than AGA, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Overall, our study reports a potential pathophysiological link between reduced levels of BDNF and neurodevelopmental alterations in fetuses with FGR. However, further studies should be conducted in those FGR subjects with MCA PI < 5th percentile in order to understand the possible implications of BDNF in this group.
PB MDPI
SN 1648-9144
YR 2022
FD 2022-01-21
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73297
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/73297
LA eng
NO Unión Europea
NO Comunidad de Madrid
NO Instituto de Salud Carlos III
NO Halekulani S.L
NO Fundación Santiago Dexeus Font
DS Docta Complutense
RD 10 abr 2025