Five serum fatty acids are associated with subclinical hypothyroidism in a Chinese pregnant population

Sci Rep. 2020 Apr 21;10(1):6743. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-63513-7.

Abstract

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is a common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. Although SCH and abnormal fatty acid composition are often associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and metabolic syndrome later in maternal and fetal life, the longitudinal relationship between SCH and serum fatty acids during pregnancy has rarely been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between SCH and maternal serum fatty acids throughout gestation. A total of 240 women enrolled in the Complex Lipids in Mothers and Babies (CLIMB) study in Chongqing, China were included in our study. Clinical information and maternal serum samples were collected at three time points during pregnancy: 11-14th, 22-28th, and 32-34th weeks of gestation. Twenty serum fatty acids were quantified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. A majority of the 20 serum fatty acids increased as gestation progressed in women with a normal pregnancy and women experiencing SCH. Levels of arachidic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosenoic acid were significantly higher in the serum of women with SCH when compared to women with a normal pregnancy, in the second trimester. On the other hand, the levels of eicosadienoic acid and octadecanoic acid were significantly higher in SCH in the third trimester. Our findings demonstrate that serum fatty acid composition during the second and third trimesters was significantly associated with SCH in pregnant Chinese women.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Area Under Curve
  • Asian People
  • Asymptomatic Diseases
  • Biomarkers / blood
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids / blood*
  • Eicosanoic Acids / blood*
  • Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated / blood*
  • Female
  • Fetus
  • Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
  • Gestational Age
  • Humans
  • Hypothyroidism / blood*
  • Hypothyroidism / diagnosis
  • Hypothyroidism / ethnology
  • Hypothyroidism / physiopathology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimesters / blood
  • Stearic Acids / blood*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Eicosanoic Acids
  • Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated
  • Stearic Acids
  • Docosahexaenoic Acids
  • eicosa-8,11-dienoic acid
  • stearic acid
  • arachidic acid
  • eicosenoic acid