Relationship Between Cord Blood sCD14 Levels, Ethnicity, Sex, and Prenatal Smoke Exposure in a Population of “At-Risk” Infants

Article Outline

• Rationale
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions
• Copyright

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Rationale 

Soluble CD14 (sCD14) is a potential prognosticator of atopic or asthmatic status, however, factors influencing sCD14 levels in early life still need to be defined. The Urban Environment and Childhood Asthma (URECA) Study is a prospective study of children “at-risk” for asthma from Baltimore, Boston, New York, and St. Louis. We determined whether ethnicity, sex, and prenatal smoke exposure were related to levels of sCD14 in cord blood samples from this cohort.

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Methods 

The level of sCD14 in cord blood was determined using a commercially available ELISA (R&D Systems). Ethnicity was recorded by self-report and grouped as Black (n = 252), Hispanic (n = 38), White/Asian/Other (n = 12), or Mixed Race (n = 40). Prenatal smoke exposure from any source (yes, n = 196; no, n = 194) was determined by parental report at enrollment.

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Results 

Highest levels of sCD14 in cord blood were found in infants of White/Asian/Other descent (413 ± 42; mean±sem ng/ml). Lowest levels of sCD14 were found in infants of Hispanic descent (336 ± 24), with intermediate levels found in samples from Black (388 ± 9.2) and Mixed Race (344 ± 24) backgrounds. Across all backgrounds, sCD14 levels were higher in females than in males (p = 0.037). In addition, any exposure to prenatal smoke was associated with significantly higher levels of sCD14 (398 ± 10 versus 355 ± 10; p = 0.003).

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Conclusions 

Female sex and history of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure were associated with higher cord blood levels of sCD14. There was a suggestion of lower sCD14 levels in infants of Hispanic descent. Further analysis will establish whether these factors may influence biological outcomes related to sCD14 levels as this cohort develops through childhood.