Maternal obesity and inflammatory mediators: A controversial association

Abstract

The link between maternal obesity and inflammatory mediators is still unclear. Our aim was to summarize the main findings of recently published studies on this topic. We performed a search in Medline for studies published in the last years on obesity, human pregnancy, and inflammatory mediators. We report the findings of 30 studies.The characteristics and number of participants, study design, gestational age at sample collection, and type of sample varied widely. Approximately two-thirds of them investigated more than one mediator, and 50% included participants in only one trimester of pregnancy. The most frequently investigated mediators were leptin, tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-6. Almost all studies reported an association between maternal obesity, leptin, and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels but not with IL-1β and IL-10. The association of IL-6, TNF-α, monocyte chemo-attractant protein-1 (MCP-1), adiponectin, and resistin with maternal obesity is still controversial.To clarify the physiopathological link between maternal obesity and inflammation, more high-quality studies are needed. K E Y W O R D Sadipokine, cytokine, inflammatory mediator, maternal obesity, pregnancy | INTRODUCTIONObesity has more than doubled in the last decades in the general population. Maternal obesity is also increasing. In the United Kingdom, nearly 20% of pregnant women are obese, 1 and in the United States, over 50% of all pregnant women are currently overweight or obese.2 Obesity in pregnancy is associated with both immediate and long term adverse events for both the mother and the offspring, including the risk of metabolic diseases years after delivery.

Plasma immunological markers in pregnancy and cord blood: A possible link between macrophage chemo‐attractants and risk of childhood type 1 diabetes

“…Individuals with obesity in general have been shown to have higher circulating levels of CCL4, CXCL10, neopterin and KTR, in line with our results in pregnant women. We also found an association of maternal IL‐6 with BMI (fold difference 1.05, P = .02), which has been contradictory in previous studies . Obesity is associated with increased M1 polarization, and maternal obesity is a risk factor for offspring diabetes .…”

Impaired Treg and NK cells profile in overweight women with gestational diabetes mellitus

“…Maternal obesity has been associated with increased risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). These two conditions are characterized by the development of chronic inflammation and high level of insulin resistance (IR), involving the participation of different immune cells and mechanisms …”

Predicting persistent impaired glucose tolerance in patients with gestational diabetes: The role of high sensitivity CRP and adiponectin

“…In a recent systematic review, Bao et al acknowledged that there are few prospective studies of adipokines and GDM among non‐Caucasian women, limiting the ability to explore the adipokine‐GDM association by race/ethnicity group. Regarding our higher rate of obesity, adiponectin levels are known to be lower in obese women . It is plausible that high rate of obesity in our sample may blunt any significant differences in metabolism in our small cohort of women because of the influence of adiposity on adiponectin levels.…”