Maternal Proinflammatory Adipokines Throughout Pregnancy and Neonatal Size and Body Composition: A Prospective Study
Ellen C Francis1, Mengying Li1, Stefanie N Hinkle1
1Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Division of Intramural Population Health Research Epidemiology Branch, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Insights
Maternal inflammation, specifically higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) during pregnancy, is linked to reduced fetal growth. This includes lower birth weight and smaller body measurements in newborns, observed as early as 15 weeks gestation.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Maternal-fetal medicine
- Neonatal health
Background:
- Maternal adiposity and inflammation can significantly impact fetal development.
- Understanding these impacts is crucial for improving pregnancy outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the associations between three proinflammatory adipokines and neonatal anthropometry.
- To determine if specific inflammatory markers predict fetal growth parameters.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 321 pregnant women from the NICHD Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort.
- Plasma levels of IL-6, FABP4, and chemerin measured at multiple gestational points.
- Generalized linear models used to assess associations with neonatal weight, length, and skinfolds, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Higher maternal IL-6 concentrations were consistently associated with lower neonatal birthweight and thigh length across all measured gestational periods.
- Specifically, a 1 SD increase in IL-6 at 15-26 weeks gestation correlated with an 84.46g decrease in birthweight and shorter limb and skinfold measurements.
- No significant associations were found between FABP4 or chemerin and neonatal anthropometric measures.
Conclusions:
- Elevated maternal IL-6 during pregnancy, starting from 15 weeks gestation, is associated with reduced neonatal size (birthweight, length, skinfolds).
- These findings highlight the importance of maternal inflammatory markers in predicting neonatal anthropometry and fetal growth.
Background:
Increased maternal adiposity and inflammation have impacts on fetal growth.
Objectives:
The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the associations of 3 proinflammatory adipokines in pregnancy with neonatal anthropometry.
Methods:
In a sample of 321 US pregnant women from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort (NCT00912132), plasma IL-6, fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP4), and chemerin were measured in plasma samples collected at 10-14, 15-26, 23-31, and 33-39 weeks of gestation. Generalized linear models were used to estimate associations of adipokines with neonatal weight, thigh, and crown-heel length, and skinfolds at birth. Models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, education, nulliparity, prepregnancy BMI, and weeks of gestation at blood collection.
Results:
At each time point, higher IL-6 was associated with lower neonatal birthweight and thigh length. At 15-26 weeks of gestation, a 1 SD pg/mL increase in IL-6 was associated with -84.46 g lower neonatal birthweight (95% CI: -150.70, -18.22), -0.17 cm shorter thigh length (95% CI: -0.27, -0.07), -0.43 cm shorter crown-heel length (95% CI: -0.75, -0.10), and -0.75 mm smaller sum of skinfolds (95% CI: -1.19, -0.31), with similar associations at 23-31 and 33-39 weeks of gestation. There were no associations of FABP4 and chemerin with neonatal anthropometry.
Conclusions:
Starting as early as 15 weeks of gestation, higher maternal IL-6 concentrations in pregnancy were associated with lower neonatal birthweight, thigh and crown-heel length, and skinfolds. These data provide insight into the relevance of maternal inflammatory markers with neonatal anthropometry.
