Maternal cytokine profiles during pregnancy are characterized by significant deviations, varying substantially between gestational time points and tissues. Obesity, in turn, is linked with low-grade inflammation in adipose tissue and increased concentrations of systemic inflammatory mediators. However, the balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in obese pregnancy has remained elusive. In view of the demonstrations that the obesity is a global epidemic in the population at reproductive age with a strong intergenerational impact, we investigated the relation of gestational immune adaptations and obesity-induced inflammation. We found a significant decrease in systemic IL-1β and MCP-1 concentration from 1st to 3rd trimester of pregnancy while IL-10 concentration increased, respectively. However, in obese pregnancies this reduction of pro-inflammatory mediators was not detected. This may constitute an additional risk factor in obese pregnancies in which the concentration of MCP-1 is already upregulated compared to normal weight mothers.
Keywords: BMI; IL-10; Low-grade inflammation; MCP-1; Obesity; Pregnancy.
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