Influence of Maternal Obesity and Gestational Weight Gain on Maternal and Foetal Lipid Profile.
Fatty acids (FAs) are fundamental for a foetus's growth, serving as an energy source, structural constituents of cellular membranes and precursors of bioactive molecules, as well as being essential for cell signalling. Long-chain polyunsaturated FAs (LC-PUFAs) are pivotal in brain and visual development. It is of interest to investigate whether and how specific pregnancy conditions, which alter fatty acid metabolism (excessive pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) or gestational weight gain (GWG)), affect lipid supply to the foetus. For this purpose, we evaluated the erythrocyte FAs of mothers and offspring (cord-blood) at birth, in relation to pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG. A total of 435 mothers and their offspring (237 males, 51%) were included in the study. Distribution of linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA), and their metabolites, arachidonic acid, dihomogamma linoleic (DGLA) and ecosapentanoic acid, was significantly different in maternal and foetal erythrocytes. Pre-pregnancy BMI was significantly associated with maternal percentage of MUFAs (Coeff: -0.112; p = 0.021), LA (Coeff: -0.033; p = 0.044) and DHA (Coeff. = 0.055; p = 0.0016); inadequate GWG with DPA (Coeff: 0.637; p = 0.001); excessive GWG with docosaexahenoic acid (DHA) (Coeff. = -0.714; p = 0.004). Moreover, pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with foetus percentage of PUFAs (Coeff: -0.172; p = 0.009), omega 6 (Coeff: -0.098; p = 0.015) and DHA (Coeff: -0.0285; p = 0.036), even after adjusting for maternal lipids. Our findings show that maternal GWG affects maternal but not foetal lipid profile, differently from pre-pregnancy BMI, which influences both.
Research Unit for Multifactorial Disease, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), viale di San Paolo 15, Rome 00146, Italy. giulia.cinelli@opbg.net.
Giulia
G
Cinelli
Research Unit for Multifactorial Disease, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), viale di San Paolo 15, Rome 00146, Italy. marta.fabrizi@opbg.net.
Marta
M
Fabrizi
Clinical Epidemiology, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), P.zza S. Onofrio 4, Rome 00165, Italy. lucilla.rava@opbg.net.
Lucilla
L
Ravà
Clinical Epidemiology, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), P.zza S. Onofrio 4, Rome 00165, Italy. marta.ciofidegliatti@opbg.net.
Marta
M
Ciofi Degli Atti
Unit of Human Microbiome, Genetic and Rare Diseases Area, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), viale di San Paolo 15, Rome 00146, Italy. pamela.vernocchi@opbg.net.
Pamela
P
Vernocchi
Department of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, San Camillo Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, Rome 00152, Italy. cristina.vallone@libero.it.
Cristina
C
Vallone
Department of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, San Camillo Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, Rome 00152, Italy. anguela@libero.it.
Emanuela
E
Pietrantoni
Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Universit&#224; degli Studi di Bologna, Piazza Goidanich 60, Cesena 47521, Italy. rosalba.lanciotti@unibo.it.|Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Universit&#224; degli Studi di Bologna, Piazza Goidanich 60, Cesena 47521, Italy. rosalba.lanciotti@unibo.it.
Rosalba
R
Lanciotti
Department of Obstetrics and Gyneacology, San Camillo Hospital, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, Rome 00152, Italy. fabry64@me.com.
Fabrizio
F
Signore
Research Unit for Multifactorial Disease, Bambino Ges&#249; Children's Hospital, IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico), viale di San Paolo 15, Rome 00146, Italy. melania.manco@opbg.net.
Melania
M
Manco
D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000097:blood; D004522:Educational Status; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000097:blood; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005333:Fetus / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019787:Linoleic Acid / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000097:blood
D005227:Fatty Acids; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid; D015126:8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid
bioattenuation; biomagnification; fatty acids; gestational diabetes; gestational weight gain; obesity; pregnancy