Lipidomics of human umbilical cord serum : identification of unique sterol sulfates

Aim: There are currently limited lipidomics data for human umbilical cord blood. Therefore, the lipidomes of cord sera from six newborns and sera from six nonpregnant females were compared. Materials & methods: Sera lipidomics analyses were conducted using a high-resolution mass spectrometry analytical platform. Results: Cord serum contained a diverse array of glycerophospholipids, albeit generally at lower concentrations than monitored in adult serum. The unexpected observations were that cord serum contained several neurosteroid sulfates and bile acid sulfates that were not detectable in adult serum. Conclusion: Our data are the first to demonstrate that cord serum contains bile acid sulfates that are synthesized early in the hydroxylase, neutral and acidic pathways of primary bile acid biosynthesis and support previous publications of cord blood perfluoralkyl toxins in newborns. Lay abstract: Umbilical cord blood offers the potential to increase our understanding of fetal development during pregnancy and during development after delivery. Our studies of complex sterols in umbilical cord blood (bile acid sulfates) suggest that with further studies these may be useful biomarkers of abnormal fetal liver development.Peer reviewe