Vaspin, a compensatory mechanism against high glucose levels since birth?

BACKGROUND: Hormones produced by fat tissue known as adipokines, are produced during intrauterine life and have recently been implicated in fetal growth. Vaspin is a adipokine expressed in visceral adipose tissue and has insulin-sensitizing effects. Elevated vaspin concentrations in serum are associated with alterations in insulin sensitivity.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if vaspin concentrations in cord blood of healthy term newborns differ between small (SGA), appropriate (AGA), and large (LGA) for gestational age. The secondary objective was to determine if there is an association between vaspin and anthropometry, glucose, and insulin in the newborn.

METHODS: The study population included healthy term newborns, 30 subjects in the SGA, 12 in the AGA, and 34 in the LGA group. The blood sample was taken from the umbilical cord vein from each child after birth for later analysis of vaspin, insulin and glucose. Anthropometry of the newborns was documented.

RESULTS: Cord blood vaspin, insulin and glucose concentrations were not different between the three study groups. A negative correlation between vaspin and glucose concentrations was demonstrated in the total population (r2 = -0.364, p = 0.001). This correlation was observed in the LGA group (r = -0.482, p = 0.004). Glucose levels significantly predicted vaspin levels (r2 = 0.140, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION: We found a negative association between glucose and vaspin levels in umbilical cord blood as well as the predictive nature of glucose levels on vaspin levels, suggesting that vaspin can be used as a predictor of alterations in the insulin-glucose metabolism since birth, especially in target populations.