Are Phoenixin-14 Levels Linked to Birth Weight and Maternal Diabetes? A Comparison of Phoenixin-14 Levels in Umbilical Cord Blood in Relation to Birth Weight in Term Infants

Background: This study aimed to compare the cord blood phoenixin-14 (PNX-14) levels of newborns across various birth weight categories with those of infants born to mothers diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus, as well as those who were not classified by birth weight. Methods: This prospective study was conducted between December 2022 and April 2024. Healthy term babies whose families agreed to participate in the study were divided into four groups: Three were according to their birth weight small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and large for gestational age (LGA), with the fourth being according to the gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) status of the mother. This study included a total of 160 patients, with 40 in each group. Results: The PNX-14 values for the AGA and LGA groups were statistically similar, while those between the PNX-14 values of the SGA and GDM groups were also statistically similar. However, the PNX-14 values in the AGA and LGA groups were statistically higher than those in the SGA and GDM groups (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study provides evidence that lower cord blood PNX-14 levels in infants are associated with low birth weight and maternal diabetes. A correlation was found between the umbilical cord PNX-14 level and birth weight. Clinical Trial Registration: The study has been registered on https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (registration number: NCT06656481; registration link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06656481?cond=NCT06656481&rank=1#collaborators-and-investigators).