Increased mitochondrial DNA copy number in maternal peripheral blood is associated with low birth weight in Lombok, Indonesia

Fetal development depends on maternal metabolic energy from mitochondria. We investigated the association of maternal mitochondrial function, represented by mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) of venous blood, with child birth weight (BW) from 528 randomly selected mothers enrolled in the Supplementation with Multiple Micronutrients Intervention Trial (ISRCTN 34151616). Real-time quantitative PCR of archived blood specimens and regression analysis adjusting for other primary determinants of BW showed that loge mtDNA-CN was inversely associated with BW (β = −204.6, p < 0.001), particularly in the third trimester (β = −376.8, p<0.001). Maternal mtDNA-CN may be a marker for low BW and fetal growth restriction.