Inflammatory mediators in overweight pregnant women

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease, with epidemic levels, that also occurs in women at reproductive age. The association between obesity and pregnancy lead to the development of an intense inflammatory process, both in maternal-fetal unit and in systemic level, increasing the risk for obstetric complications. Adverse 'effects of obesity in pregnancy are related to different factors, including disturbances on T cell subpopulations and insulin resistance levels (RI). It is important to point that the interaction and functional equilibrium among macrophages, T CD8, T CD4 and T regulators are determinants for the development of inflammatory reaction, and for the increase of RI. Different studies support an association between obesity and impaired immune response. Reduced lymphoproliferative responses to mitogen, unbalanced NK cells activity, and increased production of inflammatory cytokines by adipose tissue have been related to obesity and to obstetric disorders. There are also studies focusing inflammatory mediators' gene polymorphisms in obesity and in obstetric pathologies. Our aim was to assess the immune profile of overweight pregnant women, in order to associate any disturbance on this pattern with the observed maternal complications. (AU)