Abstract: Objective: To analyze the levels of inhibin A and activin A in maternal blood and cord blood of pregnant women with fetal growth restriction（ＦＧＲ）, so as to evaluate the effects of two factors on fetal development. Methods：Maternal antepartum blood，umbilical vein blood and placenta were collected from forty-six pregnant women in obstetrical department of our hospital， including 23 FGR cases and 23 normal pregnancy cases. Serous levels of inhibin A and activin A were measured using ELISA. HE stain was performed on the placental tissue sections. Expressions of inhibin and activin subunit-α，-βA were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results：Serous levels of inhibin A and activin A in maternal blood and umbilical blood of the FGR group were significantly higher than those in the control group（P＜0.05）. The levels of inhibin A and activin A were negatively correlated with the birth weight and subcutaneous fat thickness（P＜0.05）. Inhibin/activin subunit-α，-βA were mainly expressed in syncytiotrophoblast, while expressions of two subunits in the FGR group were significantly higher than those in the control group（P＜0.05）. There were not relationships in levels of inhibin A and activin A between fetal blood and maternal blood. Expressions of inhibin/activin-α，-βA subunits were positively correlated with maternal levels（P＜0.05）. Area under ROC curve of inhibin A was 0.862，and area under ROC curve of activin A was 0.782. Conclusions：Inhibin A and activin A play important roles in adjusting fetus growth and placenta development. The maternal serum levels of inhibin A and activin A can be used as clinical references to evaluate fetal growth and placental function.

Key words: Inhibins, Activins, Inhibin-beta subunits, Fetal growth retardation, Placenta, ROC curve