Gestational Weight Gain Is Associated with the Expression of Genes Involved in Inflammation in Maternal Visceral Adipose Tissue and Offspring Anthropometric Measures

Background: Adequate gestational weight gain (GWG) is essential for maternal and fetal health. GWG may be a sign of higher visceral adipose tissue (VAT) accretion. A higher proportion of VAT is associated with an inflammatory process that may play a role in the fetal programming of obesity. This study aimed to (1) compare the expression of genes involved in inflammatory responses (TLR2, TLR4, NF kappa B, IKK beta, IL-1RA, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha) in the VAT of pregnant women according to GWG and (2) explore whether VAT inflammation and GWG are related to offspring anthropometric measures. Material and methods: 50 women scheduled for cesarean section who delivered term infants were included in the study. We collected maternal omental VAT, and the expression of genes was examined with RT-qPCR. Results: Women with excessive and with adequate GWG had significantly higher expressions of most inflammatory genes than women with insufficient GWG. Neonates from mothers with excessive GWG had greater birth weight and chest circumference than those from mothers with insufficient GWG. GWG was positively correlated with fetal birth weight. Conclusions: The VAT expression of most genes associated with inflammatory pathways was higher in excessive and adequate GWG than in pregnant women with insufficient GWG. Moreover, GWG was found to be positively associated with newborn weight.

Automated summary

This study found that excessive and adequate gestational weight gain (GWG) were associated with higher expressions of inflammatory genes in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) compared to insufficient GWG. Additionally, GWG was positively correlated with newborn weight.