Perinatal inflammation and childhood adiposity – a gender effect?. (2nd April 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Donnelly, Jean M.; Lindsay, Karen; Walsh, Jennifer M.; Horan, Mary K.; O'Shea, Donal; Molloy, Eleanor J.; McAuliffe, Fionnuala M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine. Volume 33:Number 7(2020)
• Page Start: 1203
• Page End: 1210
• Publication Date: 2020-04-02
• Subjects: IL-6 -- in utero -- inflammation -- offspring -- TNFα; Obstetrics -- Periodicals; Perinatology -- Periodicals; Infants (Newborn) -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Neonatology -- Periodicals; 618.2
• DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2018.1517315
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1476-7058

Abstract

Abstract: Background: To determine the association of maternal and fetal inflammatory factors with gender-specific infant adiposity, independent of leptin. Methods: Analysis of anthropometry from 265 mother–infant pairs at birth and 280 pairs at 6 months from the randomised control trial of low glycaemic index diet in pregnancy (ROLO) study (Randomised control trial of low glycaemic index diet) and their association with Maternal TNF-alpha, interleukin 6 and leptin as measured in early and late pregnancy and fetal levels in cord blood. Results: No associations were noted in the male cohort. On multiple regression amongst the female neonatal cohort late pregnancy IL-6 was inversely associated with sum of skinfolds ( p ≤ .001); at 6 months infant sum of skinfolds were positively associated with early pregnancy IL-6 ( p = .046) and central adiposity positively associated with early pregnancy TNF alpha ( p = .018) independent of leptin. Conclusion: Although maternal inflammatory cytokines were not associated with neonatal adiposity independent of leptin (as this association is known), both IL-6 and TNF-α were associated with female infant anthropometry at 6 months of age independent of leptin. These results suggest inflammatory cytokines may exert an in-utero influence on later infant adiposity with a tendency to influence female adiposity more than male. Further research is required to ascertain whether these cytokines may be used as reliable early predictors of infant adiposity.