Adiponectin is present in cord blood but is unrelated to birth weight

OBJECTIVE - in adults, adiponectin is reduced in association with excess adiposity, type 2 diabetes, and hyperinsulinemia. We assessed whether adiponectin was 1) present in the-fetal circulation, 2) altered in the fetal circulation in the presence of maternal diabetes, and 3) had relations to fetal cord blood insulin or adiposity. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - We assessed adiponectin in cord blood in a large cohort of singleton offspring of diabetic mothers (ODM; n = 134) and control mothers (n = 45). RESULTS - Adiponectin was present in cord blood and, in ODM, was higher in those delivered at later gestational ages (Spearman r = 0.18, P = 0.03). Adiponectin was slightly lower in ODM than control subjects (ODM 19.7 +/- 6.1 vs. control 21.8 +/- 5.3 mug/ml; P = 0.04), although this difference could potentially reflect different gestational ages in the two groups (ODM 37.6 +/- 1.5 and control 40.1 +/- 1.1 weeks). In contrast to adults, adiponectin levels in the fetus were unrelated to the degree of adiposity, blood insulin, or leptin in either control subjects or ODM. CONCLUSIONS - Adiponectin is present in cord blood but does not show expected physiological relations with adiposity as observed in adults.