Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
Am J Hum Biol. 2019 May;31(3):e23245. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.23245. Epub 2019 Apr 13.
The maternal environment during gestation influences offspring health at birth and throughout the life course. Recent research has demonstrated that endogenous immune processes such as dysregulated inflammation adversely impact birth outcomes, increasing the risk for preterm birth and restricted fetal growth. Prior analyses examining this association suggest a relationship between maternal C-reactive protein (CRP), a summary measure of inflammation, and offspring anthropometric outcomes. This study investigates pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and their ratio, to gain deeper insight into the regulation of inflammation during pregnancy.
IL6, IL10, TNFɑ, and CRP were quantified in dried blood spots collected in the early third trimester (mean = 29.9 weeks) of 407 pregnancies in Metropolitan Cebu, Philippines. Relationships between these immune markers and offspring anthropometrics (birth weight, length, head circumference, and sum of skinfold thicknesses) were evaluated using multivariate regression analyses. Ratios of pro- to anti-inflammatory cytokines were generated.
Higher maternal IL6 relative to IL10 was associated with reduced offspring weight and length at birth. Individual cytokines did not predict birth outcomes.
Consistent with the idea that the relative balance of cytokines with pro- and anti-inflammatory effects is a key regulator of inflammation in pregnancy, the IL6:IL10 ratio, but neither cytokine on its own, predicted offspring birth outcomes. Our findings suggest that prior reports of association between CRP and fetal growth may reflect, in part, the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and that the gestational environment is significantly shaped by cytokine imbalance.
妊娠期间的母体环境会影响出生时和整个生命过程中后代的健康。最近的研究表明，内源性免疫过程（如炎症失调）会对分娩结果产生不利影响，增加早产和胎儿生长受限的风险。先前分析检查这种关联的研究表明，母体 C 反应蛋白（CRP）与后代人体测量学结果之间存在关系，CRP 是炎症的综合衡量指标。本研究调查促炎和抗炎细胞因子及其比值，以更深入地了解妊娠期间炎症的调节。
在菲律宾宿务大都会区的 407 例妊娠中，在妊娠晚期（平均为 29.9 周）收集的干血斑中定量检测了 IL6、IL10、TNFɑ 和 CRP。使用多元回归分析评估这些免疫标志物与后代人体测量学（出生体重、身长、头围和皮褶厚度总和）之间的关系。生成促炎细胞因子与抗炎细胞因子的比值。
与 IL10 相比，母体 IL6 升高与出生时婴儿体重和身长降低有关。单独的细胞因子不能预测出生结局。
与细胞因子的促炎和抗炎作用的相对平衡是妊娠期间炎症的关键调节因素的观点一致，IL6:IL10 比值，而不是单独的细胞因子，预测了后代的出生结局。我们的研究结果表明，CRP 与胎儿生长之间先前报告的关联可能部分反映了促炎和抗炎细胞因子之间的平衡，并且妊娠环境受到细胞因子失衡的显著影响。
