Table 2.
Placental lactogen in the regulation of fetal growth.
| Study Title [Reference] | Clinical Characteristics | Analyzed Parameters | Main Findings | First Author (Year of Study) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Somatomedin in newborns and the relationship to human chorionic somatotropin and fetal growth. [26] | 22 pregnant patients | PL levels in the maternal serum during the III trimester of pregnancy and cord blood at term | No correlation between PL levels, and birth weight and length | Kastrup et al. (1978) |
| Relationships of infant birth size to maternal lipoproteins, apoproteins, fuels, hormones, clinical chemistries, and body weight at 36 weeks gestation. [86] | 273 patients in singelton pregnancies | PL concentrations in maternal blood measured at 36 weeks of gestation | Positive correlation between maternal blood PL concentrations, birth weight, and birth length | Knopp et al. (1985) |
| Relationship of maternal and fetal levels of human placental lactogen to the weight and sex of the fetus. [87] | 101 pregnant patients | PL levels in the maternal serum at 38–42 weeks of gestation, cord artery, and cord vein collected at term | Positive correlation between maternal serum PL and birth weight, with no correlation in the case of umbilical cord blood | Houghton et al. (1984) |
| Differential expression profile of Growth Hormone/Chorionic Somatomammotropin genes in placenta of small- and large-for-gestational-age newborns. [88] | 72 patients in uncomplicated singelton pregnancies | CSH1 and CSH2 gene mRNA in term placental tissue | CSH1 and CSH2 gene transcript levels were significantly higher in LGA newborns compared with SGA and AGA neonates | Männik et al. (2010) |
| Macrosomia in Pregnancy Complicated by Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. [89] | 83 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes | PL maternal serum concentrations during the III trimester of pregnancy | Mothers of macrosomic infants have significantly higher concentrations of serum PL | Small et al. (1987) |
| Maternal serum concentrations of human placental lactogen, estradiol and pregnancy specific β1-glycoprotein and fetal growth retardation. [90] | 200 multiparous women with fetal growth retardation risk factors | PL maternal serum levels measured at a mean of 18 weeks’ gestational age | Higher maternal levels of PL are associated with a decreased prevalence of fetal growth retardation | Gardner (1997) |
| Prediction of fetal growth based on maternal serum concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin, human placental lactogen and estriol. [91] | 214 patients, mothers of 102 SGA infants and 112 non-SGA neonates | PL levels in maternal serum were measured serially at 17, 25, 33, and 37 weeks of gestation | Significant differences in PL measured at 17, 33, and 37 weeks of pregnancy in mothers of SGA and non-SGA infants | Markestad et al. (1997) |
| Human placental lactogen and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A in first trimester and subsequent fetal growth. [92] | 93 patients with uncomplicated singelton pregnancies | Maternal PL serum concentrations measured between the 8th and 14th week of pregnancy | PL is negatively correlated with gestational age at delivery | Pedersen et al. (1995) |
Abbreviations: AGA—appropriate for gestational age, CSH1—chorionic somatomammotropin 1, CSH2—chorionic somatomammotropin 2, GDM—gestational diabetes mellitus, LGA—large for gestational age, PL—placental lactogen, and SGA—small for gestational age.