Utilization of Maternal Copper Concentration to Predict Preterm Birth Risk
Research By: Nagendra Monangi, MD | Ge Zhang, MD, PhD
Post Date: October 27, 2023 | Publish Date: Oct. 27, 2023
Human Genetics | Top Scientific Achievement
Pioneering work from a research team at Cincinnati Children’s led by Nagendra Monangi, MD, reveals that testing for increased levels of copper in the maternal bloodstream can serve as a promising candidate for predicting the risk of preterm birth.
Preterm birth (occurring before 37 weeks gestation) is the primary cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Worldwide, as many as 15 million preterm births occur each year, which can result in expensive intensive care stays, emotional trauma when deaths occur, and a host of life-long complications. However, multiple causative factors have made it difficult to consistently predict and prevent preterm birth.
Copper, an essential trace metal, plays various roles in biological processes because many proteins depend on it for optimal function. Copper’s role during pregnancy, especially in preterm birth, has been debated over the years.
This study involved data from 18 international pregnancy cohorts collected through the International Consortium on Selenium, Genetics and Preterm Birth (a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project). These globe-spanning cohorts provided extraordinary diversity in terms of geography, social status, ancestral background, ethnicity and environmental factors.
Copper concentration was measured in maternal plasma or serum via plasma mass spectrometry with robust randomization. The meta-analysis revealed that higher maternal copper concentration was associated with higher risk of preterm birth and shorter gestational duration.
“In addition to potentially serving as an early-warning biomarker, this study opens up new avenues to decipher how copper could mechanistically lead to preterm birth. That, in turn, could lead to new ways to prevent preterm birth,” Monangi says.
Co-authors from Cincinnati Children’s also included Huan Xu, PhD, Elizabeth Belling, CGC, LGC, Joanne Chappell, BS, Jing Chen, PhD, Fansheng Kong, PhD, MBA, Ge Zhang, MD, PhD, and Louis Muglia, MD, PhD (now president and CEO of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund).
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| Original title: | Association of maternal prenatal copper concentration with gestational duration and preterm birth: a multicountry meta-analysis |
| Published in: | The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| Publish date: | Oct. 27, 2023 |
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The Research Horizons blog features news and insights about the latest discoveries and innovations developed by the scientists of Cincinnati Children's. This blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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