Cord Blood Spexin Level in Mothers with Obesity—Forecast of Future Obesity

Spexin (SPX) is a peptide that plays an important role in the regulation of food intake and body weight (BW) by the effect on carbohydrate-lipid metabolism. However, the role of SPX in fetal life, in children, and in adolescent metabolism is limited. Therefore, we decided to check whether obesity affects the concentration of SPX in the mother's peripheral blood (MB) and umbilical cord blood (UCB). Using MB and UCB sera on the day of delivery obtained from 48 women (24 non-obese and 24 obese) and commercially available Elisa kits and colorimetric assays, we determined changes in SPX and the relationship between SPX concentration and other metabolic and anthropometric markers (body weight and BMI) on the day of delivery and in children at the age of 36 months. We found lower concentrations of SPX in MB ( p p 30) and a moderate linear correlation (r = 0.4429; p p < 0.05). Based on the obtained results, it can be assumed that spexin is one of the factors modulating the child's metabolism already in the fetal period and can be considered a potential marker of future predisposition to obesity. However, confirmation of this thesis requires additional research

Anthropometry · Biology · Birth weight · Body mass index · Body weight · Cord blood · Fetus · Obesity · Pregnancy · Umbilical cord · Birth, Development, and Health · Diet and metabolism studies · Medicine · Regulation of Appetite and Obesity · Endocrinology · Immunology · Internal Medicine · Physiology