Abstract
Major alterations in metabolism occur during pregnancy enabling the mother to provide adequate nutrients to support infant development, affecting birth weight (BW) and potentially long-term risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease. We classified dynamic changes in the maternal lipidome during pregnancy and identified lipids associated with Fenton BW z-score and the umbilical cord blood (CB) lipidome. Lipidomics was performed on first trimester maternal plasma (M1), delivery maternal plasma (M3), and CB plasma in 106 mother-infant dyads. Shifts in the maternal and CB lipidome were consistent with the selective transport of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as well as lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC) and lysophosphatidylethanolamine (LysoPE) species into CB. Partial correlation networks demonstrated fluctuations in correlations between lipid groups at M1, M3, and CB, signifying differences in lipid metabolism. Using linear models, LysoPC and LysoPE groups in CB were positively associated with BW. M1 PUFA containing triglycerides (TG) and phospholipids were correlated with CB LysoPC and LysoPE species and total CB polyunsaturated TGs. These results indicate that early gestational maternal lipid levels influence the CB lipidome and its relationship with BW, suggesting an opportunity to modulate maternal diet and improve long-term offspring cardiometabolic health.
Highlights
Major alterations in metabolism occur during pregnancy enabling the mother to provide adequate nutrients to support infant development, affecting birth weight (BW) and potentially long-term risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease
We observed no significant difference in Fenton BW percentile between males and females
Our results indicated that cord blood (CB) LysoPLs of varying chain length and number of double bonds are elevated in the CB compared to M3 (Fig. 2) and are significantly associated with BW, independent of sex (Fig. 4)
Summary
Major alterations in metabolism occur during pregnancy enabling the mother to provide adequate nutrients to support infant development, affecting birth weight (BW) and potentially long-term risk of obesity and cardiometabolic disease. Barker and Osmond developed this hypothesis from observations in England and Wales, confirmed by studies from the Dutch Famine, a well-documented famine in the Netherlands during World War II3 Within this cohort, nutrient restriction in utero in the first trimester was associated with increased risk of obesity, dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease, while restriction in the third trimester was associated with decreased risk of metabolic disease independent of birth weight (BW)[4], affirming existence of distinct susceptibility windows for producing differing outcomes. The CB metabolome is influenced by maternal characteristics such as pre-pregnancy BMI18,19
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