ArticlePloS one2013
The human fetus preferentially secretes corticosterone, rather than cortisol, in response to intra-partum stressors.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Developmental and environmental determinants of hair steroids in children from birth to two years postnatally: A comprehensive analysis.Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Why not both? A case study in measuring cortisol and corticosterone.Integrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Fetal metabolic adaptations to cardiovascular stress in twin-twin transfusion syndrome.iScience · 2023Article
- Influence of labor on direct and indirect determinants of placental 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2021Article
- Assessment of adrenal function at birth using adrenal glucocorticoid precursor to product ratios to predict short-term neonatal outcomes.Pediatric research · 2020Observational
- Substrates and Clearance Products of Fetal Adrenal Glucocorticoid Synthesis in Full-Term Human Umbilical Circulation.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2020Article
- Developmental programming: Sex-specific programming of growth upon prenatal bisphenol A exposure.Journal of applied toxicology : JAT · 2019Article
- The effect of prescribed exercise volume on biomarkers of chronic stress in postmenopausal women: Results from the Breast Cancer and Exercise Trial in Alberta (BETA).Preventive medicine reports · 2019Article
- Pulsatility of glucocorticoid hormones in pregnancy: Changes with gestation and obesity.Clinical endocrinology · 2018Article
- Glucocorticoids are lower at delivery in maternal, but not cord blood of obese pregnancies.Scientific reports · 2017Article
- Arginine Vasopressin and Copeptin in Perinatology.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2016Review
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextFetal stress is relevant to newborn outcomes. Corticosterone is rarely quantified in human clinical endocrinology and is found at much lower concentrations than cortisol. However, fetal corticosterone is a candidate hormone as a fetal stress signal.
objectiveTest the hypothesis that preferential fetal corticosterone synthesis occurs in response to fetal intra-partum stress.
designCross-sectional comparison of paired serum corticosteroid concentrations in umbilical artery and vein from 300 women providing consent at admission to a General Hospital Labor and Delivery unit. Pre-term and multiple births were excluded, leaving 265 healthy deliveries.
main outcome measuresCorticosterone and cortisol concentrations determined by LC-MS/MS for umbilical cord venous (V) and arterial (A) samples and used to calculate fetal synthesis (A-V) and proportional fetal synthesis ([A-V]/V). Chart-derived criteria stratified samples by type of delivery, maternal regional analgesia, augmentation of contractions, and clinical rationale for emergent Caesarian delivery.
resultsCortisol concentrations were higher than corticosterone concentrations; however, the fetus preferentially secretes corticosterone (148% vs 49% proportional increase for cortisol) and differentially secretes corticosterone as fetal stress increases. Fetal corticosterone synthesis is elevated after passage through the birth canal relative to Caesarian deliveries. For vaginal deliveries, augmentation of contractions does not affect corticosteroid concentrations whereas maternal regional analgesia decreases venous (maternal) concentrations and increases fetal synthesis. Fetal corticosterone synthesis is also elevated after C-section indicated by cephalopelvic disproportion after labor, whereas cortisol is not.
conclusionsThe full-term fetus preferentially secretes corticosterone in response to fetal stress during delivery. Fetal corticosterone could serve as a biomarker of fetal stress.
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