Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate placental ghrelin and leptin expression as well as cord blood ghrelin and adiponectin levels in maternal obesity and associations between placental ghrelin expression, cord blood ghrelin levels and maternal and infant variables.
Materials and methods: Placental ghrelin and leptin expression were analyzed by RT-PCR in 32 severely obese and 32 matched normal-weight women. Cord blood ghrelin, adiponectin, leptin, and C-peptide concentrations were analyzed by ELISA.
Results: Neither ghrelin nor leptin expression and neither cord blood ghrelin nor adiponectin levels differed between the groups. Placental ghrelin expression was associated with BMI at delivery in the obese women (r = 0.424, p = .016) and in the infants born to normal-weight women with their weight z-scores at six (r = -0.642, p = .010), nine (r = -0.441, p = .015), and 12 months of age (r = -0.402, p = .028).
Conclusions: Placental ghrelin and leptin expression as well as cord blood ghrelin and adiponectin levels do not seem to be altered in severe maternal obesity. Placenta-derived ghrelin may influence the infants' postnatal weight gain, but possibly only when the mother has normal weight.
Keywords: Adiponectin; birth weight; ghrelin; leptin; obesity; placenta.