Maternal neuropeptide galanin levels in pregnancies with intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR): neurohormonal regulation of fetal weight

Aim Galanin is a neuroendocrine peptide with diverse biological actions in humans. Here, we evaluated plasma galanin levels in pregnant women with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) to elucidate the mechanism underlying the causal link between regulatory neuropeptides and IUGR. Material and methods This prospective case-control study evaluated 40 IUGR pregnancies and 35 healthy body mass index (BMI) and age-matched second and third-trimester pregnant women at Istanbul Teaching and Research Hospital. Serums galanin levels were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit according to the manufacturer's procedure. Results Median serum galanin levels were lower in the IUGR group (9.59 pg/ml) than in the control group (12.1 pg/ml), although statically insignificant. Galanin levels were significantly higher in the control group with a BMI >= 30 than in those with a BMI < 30; the IUGR group exhibited no significant difference. Galanin levels were higher in the control group premature births than in term pregnancies; the difference was insignificant in the IUGR group. Thus, IUGR minimally impacts circulating maternal galanin levels, indicating that while galanin might affect IUGR pathogenesis, it negligibly contributes to disease progression. Conclusion The lack of correlation between galanin levels and maternal BMI and preterm pregnancies suggests a blunted neuropeptide response to hormonal stimulus in IUGR pregnancies, compared with the positive association with maternal BMI and negative association with healthy preterm pregnancies.