Abstract
Introduction
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a common maternal liver disease; development can result in devastating consequences, including sudden fetal death and stillbirth. Currently, recognition of ICP only occurs following onset of clinical symptoms.
Objective
Investigate the maternal hair metabolome for predictive biomarkers of ICP.
Methods
The maternal hair metabolome (gestational age of sampling between 17 and 41 weeks) of 38 Chinese women with ICP and 46 pregnant controls was analysed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.
Results
Of 105 metabolites detected in hair, none were significantly associated with ICP.
Conclusion
Hair samples represent accumulative environmental exposure over time. Samples collected at the onset of ICP did not reveal any metabolic shifts, suggesting rapid development of the disease.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge Associate Professor Silas Villas Boas for his contributions to the hair metabolomics method development. This study was funded by GRAVIDA: the National Centre for Growth and Development (New Zealand).
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Author notes
Jamie V. de Seymour and Stephanie Tu are Joint first authors.
Contributions
KS, PB, and HZ conceived and designed the study; XH recruited participants and collected the samples; ST performed the experiment with the assistance of T-LH and KS; JdS and ST analysed the data; JdS wrote the paper; all authors revised the manuscript prior to submission.
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The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.
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All procedures performed in this study were in accordance with the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all participants.
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de Seymour, J.V., Tu, S., He, X. et al. Metabolomic profiling of maternal hair suggests rapid development of intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. Metabolomics 14, 79 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-018-1371-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11306-018-1371-7