Obesity is associated with increased level of kisspeptin in mothers' blood and umbilical cord blood - a pilot study.

Abstract

Kisspeptin (KP) is a major regulator of reproductive functions. It has also been shown to be involved in the metabolic changes associated with obesity. According to the well-established concept of prenatal programming, environmental factors can influence physiological and behavioral systems at the early stages of development. Thus, we hypothesized that in pregnant women, obesity can be associated with alterations in the levels of KP. We also assumed that the observed changes in obese mothers' blood (MB) would be reflected in the umbilical cord blood (CB). We collected MB and CB from obese and nonobese women and analyzed the differences in metabolic and hormonal profiles, including KP concentration, using commercially available assays. We found that the level of KP was increased in the MB and CB of obese patients compared to nonobese subjects (p<0.05). A strong correlation was observed between the concentration of KP in MB and CB (r=0.8343; p<0.01). Moreover, we detected that the differences in the adipokine profile observed in the MB were not reflected in CB. Our results indicate that blood KP concentration can serve as a valuable marker in pregnant women. However, further studies are needed to understand the alterations of this peptide in obese pregnant woman and their potential effects on offspring.