Amylin, Insulin Glucagon Interactions In Cord Blood Of Infants Born To Diabetic Mothers

Background: Poor feeding is a major problem occuring in 37% of infants of diabetic mothers (IDMs). Amylin is a novel 37 amino acid that is secreted together with insulin from the pancreas in response to enteral nutrient intake. It is a potent inhibitor of gastric motility which plays an important role in the control of carbohydrate absorption. Aims: To compare the level of amylin in the cord blood of healthy neonates to that of the infants born to diabetic mothers as well as to find the possible correlation between amylin, insulin and glucagon in IDMs. Methods: A cord venous blood sample was taken immediately after birth from 40 infants born to diabetic mothers and 20 healthy neonates as a control (≥37ws) over a period of 6 months. Amylin, insulin, glucagon and glucose levels were assessed. Results: The mean cord serum amylin level in IDMs was 33.7± 8.1 SD pmol/L. It was significantly higher than that in the control group(P 0.001). There ;as a statistically significant difference (P 0.001) between the two groups concerning insulin, glucagon and glucose. There was a significant positive correlation between amylin level and insulin level in the IDMs (P 0.001). As well as a significant negative correlation between glucagon and both amylin and insulin in the same group (P 0.001). Conclusions: the level of serum amylin is elevated in the cord blood of IDMs and this can be an explanation for the poor feeding in this group, however a more precise study correlating the level of amylin to the rate of gastric emptying is needed to confirm this explanation.