Affiliation:
1. Departamento de Bioquímica e Imunologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
2. Departamento de Nutrição e Saúde, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil
3. Departamento de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, Brazil
Abstract
Leptin is secreted by adipose tissue and expressed in several organs, including the placenta. We investigated the influence of leptin in maternal blood on leptin expression and concentration in the placenta and umbilical cord and its influence on fetal weight and conditions at the time of birth. Twenty-five parturients were recruited, and after childbirth, placental tissue fragments, umbilical arteries, and vein blood were collected. According to leptin concentration in maternal peripheral blood, parturients were divided into low and high leptin groups. Mothers in the high-leptin group had higher age, pre-pregnancy weight, pre-pregnancy BMI, and weight in late pregnancy than mothers in the low-leptin group. Children of mothers in the high-leptin group presented an Apgar score modestly lower than those of the low-leptin group. No differences were observed in leptin concentrations in the umbilical artery and vein. However, the leptin retained in the fetus increased in the high-leptin group compared to the low-leptin group. We observed a negative correlation between fetal leptin retained and maternal age in the low-leptin group. In the high-leptin group, placental leptin concentration was positively correlated with maternal weight in late pregnancy. Nonetheless, the expression of the leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) was negatively correlated with newborn length. In conclusion, this study found a positive correlation between maternal leptin levels and maternal pre-pregnancy weight, BMI, and fetal birth weight. These findings suggest a potential role of leptin in maternal weight regulation during pregnancy and fetal growth.
Reference38 articles.
1. Positional cloning of the mouse obese gene and its human homologue;Zhang;Nature,1994
2. Vilariño-García, T., Polonio-González, M., Pérez-Pérez, A., Ribalta, J., Arrieta, F., Aguilar, M., Obaya, J., Gimeno-Orna, J., Iglesias, P., and Navarro, J. (2024). Role of Leptin in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 25.
3. Molecular pathways in placental-fetal development and disruption;Adibi;Mol. Cell. Endocrinol.,2024
4. Role of Leptin in the Digestive System;Kim;Front. Pharmacol.,2021
5. Development of leptin antagonists and their potential use in experimental biology and medicine;Gertler;Trends Endocrinol. Metab.,2006