APC Microbiome Ireland and.
School of Public Health, University College Cork, Ireland.
JCI Insight. 2021 Jan 25;6(2):143007. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.143007.
Psychological stress affects maternal gastrointestinal (GI) permeability, leading to low-grade inflammation, which can negatively affect fetal development. We investigated a panel of circulating markers as a biological signature of this stress exposure in pregnant women with and without the stress-related GI disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Markers of GI permeability and inflammation were measured in plasma from healthy and IBS cohorts of women at 15 and 20 weeks' gestation. Biomarkers were evaluated with respect to their degree of association to levels of stress, anxiety, and depression as indicated by responses from the Perceived Stress Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. High levels of stress were associated with elevations of soluble CD14, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), and tumor necrosis factor-α, while anxiety was associated with elevated concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP) in otherwise healthy pregnancies. Prenatal depression was associated with higher levels of soluble CD14, LBP, and CRP in the healthy cohort. High levels of prenatal anxiety and depression were also associated with lower concentrations of tryptophan and kynurenine, respectively, in the IBS cohort. These markers may represent a core maternal biological signature of active prenatal stress, which can be used to inform intervention strategies via stress reduction techniques or other lifestyle approaches. Such interventions may need to be tailored to reflect underlying GI conditions, such as IBS.
心理压力会影响产妇的胃肠道（GI）通透性，导致低度炎症，从而对胎儿发育产生负面影响。我们研究了一组循环标志物，作为有和没有与压力相关的胃肠道紊乱（肠易激综合征[IBS]）的孕妇中这种压力暴露的生物特征。在妊娠 15 周和 20 周时，从健康和 IBS 组的女性的血浆中测量了 GI 通透性和炎症标志物。根据感知压力量表、状态特质焦虑量表和爱丁堡产后抑郁量表的反应，评估了生物标志物与压力、焦虑和抑郁水平的关联程度。高水平的压力与可溶性 CD14、脂多糖结合蛋白（LBP）和肿瘤坏死因子-α的升高有关，而焦虑与健康妊娠中 C 反应蛋白（CRP）浓度的升高有关。产前抑郁与健康组中可溶性 CD14、LBP 和 CRP 的水平升高有关。产前焦虑和抑郁水平较高也与 IBS 组中色氨酸和犬尿氨酸的浓度降低有关。这些标志物可能代表活跃的产前压力的核心母体生物学特征，可以通过减轻压力技术或其他生活方式方法来告知干预策略。这种干预可能需要根据潜在的胃肠道状况（如 IBS）进行调整。
