Maternal Proinflammatory Adipokines Throughout Pregnancy and Neonatal Size and Body Composition: A Prospective Study
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Increased maternal adiposity and inflammation have impacts on fetal growth. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this prospective study was to investigate the associations of three proinflammatory adipokines in pregnancy with neonatal anthropometry. METHODS In a sample of 321 U.S pregnant women from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies-Singleton Cohort (NCT00912132), plasma interleukin (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 gestational weeks (GW). 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 body mass index (BMI), and GW at blood collection. RESULTS At each time-point, higher IL-6 was associated with lower neonatal birthweight and thigh length. At 15–26 GWs, a one standard deviation pg/ml increase in IL-6 was associated with -84.46 g lower neonatal birthweight (95% Confidence Interval [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 GWs. There were no associations of FABP4 and chemerin with neonatal anthropometry. CONCLUSIONS Starting as early as 15 GWs, higher maternal IL-6 concentrations in pregnancy were associated with smaller neonatal birthweight, thigh and crown-heel length, and skinfolds. These data provide insight into the relevance of maternal inflammatory markers with neonatal anthropometry.