Objectives: Fetal growth restriction is associated with chronic fetal hypoxia, poor perinatal outcome and increased perinatal mortality. There are no reliable methods to detect cell damage in the central nervous system (CNS) in these patients. The findings of increased an acidic calcium-binding protein (S100B) concentration in biological fluids of infants after brain injury have supported the use of S100B as a biochemical marker of CNS damage. The purpose of the study was to assess blood S100B concentrations in small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) newborns and to evaluate the usefulness of S100B for early detection of hypoxia.
Material and methods: The investigation was carried out between November 2011 and April 2014. Serum S100B protein level was assessed in cord blood collected from newborns after birth. Medical records of mothers of neonates studied were reviewed for pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH), preeclampsia, maternal smoking during pregnancy and abnormalities in umbilical artery (UA) Doppler ultrasound examination.
Results: The study was carried out in 88 SGA neonates and 80 AGA neonates. The median value of S100B protein concentration in the SGA study group was significantly higher than in AGA controls (p < 0.001). Cord blood serum S100B concentration in SGA neonates with prenatal normal UA Doppler ultrasound findings (n = 32) did not differ from that SGA neonates with abnormal prenatal UA Doppler findings (n = 25) (p = 0.74), but was significantly higher than in AGA newborns (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: Elevated S100B protein levels in cord blood collected from SGA newborns may be helpful in detecting infants at higher risk of postnatal neurologic disturbances at an early stage.
Keywords: CNS; FGR; S100B protein; SGA; biomarker; fetal hypoxia; neurological damage; newborn.