Maternal Obesity and Differences in Child Urine Metabolome

Area of Science:

• Metabolomics
• Developmental Biology
• Public Health

Background:

• Maternal obesity affects approximately one-third of pregnancies in the U.S.
• Obesity during pregnancy can negatively impact the in utero environment and offspring development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in urine metabolomics between children exposed and unexposed to maternal obesity.
• To identify potential biomarkers and affected pathways related to in utero exposure to maternal obesity.

Main Methods:

• Untargeted urine metabolomics using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in 68 children (4-8 years).
• Comparison of metabolite levels between offspring exposed (maternal BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m² ) and unexposed (maternal BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m² ) to maternal obesity.
• Statistical analyses included two-sample t-tests and sensitivity analyses based on children's BMI.

Main Results:

• Children exposed to maternal obesity showed lower levels of 5-hydroxyindole sulfate and 7-hydroxyindole sulfate, and higher levels of secondary bile acids.
• Lower levels of phenylacetic acid derivatives were observed in offspring exposed to maternal obesity and in those with overweight/obese BMI.
• Exposure to maternal obesity was linked to decreased dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels.

Conclusions:

• Children exposed to maternal obesity exhibit distinct urine metabolite profiles, suggesting altered microbial catabolism of tryptophan and acetylated peptides.
• Some observed metabolic differences were partly associated with the offspring's current BMI status.
• Urine metabolomics shows promise for identifying biomarkers and pathways affected by in utero exposure to maternal obesity.