Does fetal or maternal leap-2 level affect infant birth weight?

The etiology of maternal and infant weight gain during pregnancy is multifactorial. Many different biomarkers have been studied to elucidate this complex issue. Recent studies have led to the idea that Leap-2, which is thought to have an active role in energy metabolism, may also have an influence on infant birth weight. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between Leap-2 levels and infant birth weight. In this prospective study, we evaluated 102 patients with pregnancies of 34 weeks or more. Among those group, Leap-2 levels collected from maternal venous blood just before delivery and from umbilical cord during delivery. Accordingly, infant birth weights were recorded and analyzed in relation to Leap-2 concentrations. As a result; Fetomaternal Leap-2 levels were correlated each other significiantly for the first time in the literature (p < 0.001, r = 0.611). In the analysis performed by categorizing maternal Leap-2 and infant birth weights with a 100 g and 150 g difference separately, statistically significant cut-off values were identified for infants born weighing over 3250 g. These findings suggest that maternal Leap-2 levels which can potentially serve as a biomarker for birth weight prediction, may influence fetal growth even in normal pregnancies. Leap-2 may be thought as a novel factor determining infant birth weight.