title: Leptin and paraoxonase activity in cord blood from obese mothers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity and/or psychopathological disorders of parents represent risk factors for childhood obesity. The aim of the study was to investigate the link between obesity in pregnancy and oxidative stress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Venous blood was collected from 37 women at the eighth month of gestation (19 obese and 28 normal weight). Cord blood was obtained at birth from newborns of obese mothers and controls. Cord blood and maternal blood was used to separate plasma to be used for the evaluation of leptin, oxidized LDL and paraoxonase (PON1) activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher levels of leptin were observed both in maternal blood and cord blood of children of obese women compared to normal-weight women. The data also showed lower levels of PON1 activity in plasma of obese women and in the cord blood of their children. Furthermore, a positive correlation was established between levels of PON1 activity in maternal blood and cord blood, suggesting a relationship between PON1 in maternal plasma and fetal cord blood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Essential obesity in pregnancy is associated with hyperleptinemia. PON1 exerts an antioxidant role; therefore, our results demonstrated that obesity exposes to an increased susceptibility to oxidative damage in both mothers and newborns.
authors.affiliation: International Center for research of Obesity (CIO), Polytechnic University of Marche .
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Cester
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bacchetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Raffaelli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vignini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Orici
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tranquilli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D043303:Aryldialkylphosphatase; C468406:PON1 protein, human
keywords: Leptin; obesity; oxidative damage; oxidized LDL; paraoxonase