Fibronectin levels in Indian neonates in health & disease.

Cord blood samples were estimated for serum fibronectin (Fn) by immunoelectrophoresis (IE) and enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) in 250 newborn healthy and sick infants classified into 6 categories: i.e., term appropriate for date (TAFD), preterm appropriate for date (PTAFD), term small for date (TSFD), preterm small for date (PTSFD), birth asphyxia (BA) and septicemia (SEP). TAFD infants were assayed for plasma Fn in addition. Comparison of Fn levels in the different groups by the Wilcoxan rank sum test indicated no significant difference between term and preterm infants, between PTAFD and PTSFD, TAFD and TSFD and in infants with and without birth asphyxia. Babies with septicemia had a significantly (P < 0.01) lower Fn level (29.97 +/- 29.03 mg/l) than those with no septicemia (42.77 +/- 30.20 mg/l). TAFD infants had Fn levels (serum 41.44 +/- 31.08 mg/l, plasma 85.20 +/- 33.38 mg/l) that are less than half the levels reported in the Western literature for newborn term infants. A possible cause could be the associated medical problems in mothers as 41 per cent of mothers of TAFD infants had conditions such as pregnancy induced hypertension, gestational diabetes, rheumatic heart disease, infection etc.