Maternal plasma concentration of the pro-inflammatory adipokine pre-B-cell-enhancing factor (PBEF)/visfatin is elevated in pregnant patients with acute pyelonephritis.
OBJECTIVE
Visfatin/pre-B-cell-enhancing factor (PBEF) has been implicated in the regulation of the innate immune system, as well as in glucose metabolism. Specifically, visfatin plays a requisite role in delayed neutrophil apoptosis in patients with sepsis. The aim of this study was to determine whether pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with changes in maternal plasma visfatin concentration in normal weight and overweight/obese patients.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study included the following groups: (1) normal pregnant women (n = 200) and (2) pregnant women with pyelonephritis (n = 40). Maternal plasma visfatin concentrations were determined by ELISA. Non-parametric statistics was used for analyses.


RESULTS
(1) The median maternal plasma visfatin concentration was significantly higher in patients with pyelonephritis than in those with a normal pregnancy; (2) among overweight/obese pregnant women, those with pyelonephritis had a significantly higher median plasma visfatin concentration than women with a normal pregnancy; and (3) pyelonephritis was independently associated with higher maternal plasma visfatin concentrations after adjustment for maternal age, pre-gestational body mass index, smoking status, gestational age at sampling, and birthweight.


CONCLUSIONS
Acute pyelonephritis during pregnancy is associated with a high circulating maternal visfatin concentration. These findings suggest that visfatin/PBEF may play a role in the regulation of the complex and dynamic crosstalk between inflammation and metabolism during pregnancy.
Mazaki-Tovi
Shali
S
Perinatology Research Branch, Intramural Division, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Hutzel Women's Hospital, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Vaisbuch
Edi
E
Romero
Roberto
R
Kusanovic
Juan Pedro
JP
Chaiworapongsa
Tinnakorn
T
Kim
Sun Kwon
SK
Nhan-Chang
Chia-Ling
CL
Gomez
Ricardo
R
Yoon
Bo H
BH
Yeo
Lami
L
Mittal
Pooja
P
Ogge
Giovanna
G
Gonzalez
Juan M
JM
Hassan
Sonia S
SS
D000328:Adult; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D016207:Cytokines; D054409:Nicotinamide Phosphoribosyltransferase; C085455:nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, human