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Yasuhisa Ohata, Hitomi Arahori, Noriyuki Namba, Taichi Kitaoka, Haruhiko Hirai, Kazuko Wada, Masahiro Nakayama, Toshimi Michigami, Akihiro Imura, Yo-ichi Nabeshima, Yuji Yamazaki, Keiichi Ozono, Circulating Levels of Soluble α-Klotho Are Markedly Elevated in Human Umbilical Cord Blood, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 96, Issue 6, 1 June 2011, Pages E943–E947, https://doi.org/10.1210/jc.2010-2357
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Fetal serum levels of calcium and phosphate are higher than those in the maternal levels. Although α-Klotho is known to participate in calcium and phosphate metabolism in adults, its role in the perinatal period remains unknown.
This study aimed to determine the baseline levels of soluble α-Klotho in fetuses and compare them with those in neonates, mothers, and adults to clarify whether α-Klotho is involved in the fetal-specific regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism.
We conducted a cross-sectional evaluation of healthy babies (at birth and/or at 4 d after birth), their mothers, and adult volunteers at one hospital.
Twenty-one healthy mothers, their babies (23 in total, including two pairs of twins), and 25 adult volunteers participated in the study.
We measured the serum levels of soluble α-Klotho and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23).
In cord blood, the level of α-Klotho was markedly higher (3243 ± 1899 pg/ml) than levels in neonates at d 4 (582 ± 90 pg/ml), mothers (768 ± 261 pg/ml), and adult volunteers (681 ± 140 pg/ml) (P < 0.001), whereas the fetal level of FGF23 was lower than levels in the other subjects. The levels of soluble α-Klotho were negatively correlated with those of FGF23 in cord blood. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that α-Klotho was predominantly expressed in syncytiotrophoblasts in normal term placenta.
Levels of soluble α-Klotho are markedly elevated in cord blood and might be useful as a biomarker for mineral metabolism in the fetus.