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Etyemez S, Mehta K, Tutino E, Zaidi A, Atif N, Rahman A, Malik A, Voegtline KM, Surkan PJ, Osborne LM. The immune phenotype of perinatal anxiety in an anxiety-focused behavioral intervention program in Pakistan. Brain Behav Immun 2024; 120:141-150. [PMID: 38777289 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.05.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dysregulation of the immune system has been associated with psychiatric disorders and pregnancy-related complications, such as perinatal depression. However, the immune characteristics specific to perinatal anxiety remain poorly understood. In this study, our goal was to examine specific immune characteristics related to prenatal anxiety within the context of a randomized controlled trial designed to alleviate anxiety symptoms-the Happy Mother - Healthy Baby (HMHB) study in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pregnant women (n = 117) were followed prospectively in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters (T1, T2, T3) and at 6 weeks postpartum (PP6). Each visit included a blood draw and anxiety evaluation (as measured by the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS -using a cutoff ≥ 8). We enrolled both healthy controls and participants with anxiety alone; those with concurrent depression were excluded. RESULTS K-means cluster analysis revealed three anxiety clusters: Non-Anxiety, High and Consistent Anxiety, and Decreasing Anxiety. Principal components analysis revealed two distinct clusters of cytokine and chemokine activity. Women within the High and Consistent Anxiety group had significantly elevated chemokine activity across pregnancy (in trimester 1 (β = 0.364, SE = 0.178, t = 2.040, p = 0.043), in trimester 2 (β = 0.332, SE = 0.164, t = 2.020, p = 0.045), and trimester 3 (β = 0.370, SE = 0.179, t = 2.070, p = 0.040) compared to Non-Anxiety group. Elevated chemokine activity was associated with low birthweight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA). CONCLUSION Our findings reveal a unique pattern of immune dysregulation in pregnant women with anxiety in a Pakistani population and offer preliminary evidence that immune dysregulation associated with antenatal anxiety may be associated with birth outcomes. The dysregulation in this population is distinct from that in our other studies, indicating that population-level factors other than anxiety may play a substantial role in the differences found. (Clinicaltrials.gov # NCT04566861).
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Affiliation(s)
- Semra Etyemez
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kruti Mehta
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Emily Tutino
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
| | - Ahmed Zaidi
- Human Development Research Foundation, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Najia Atif
- Human Development Research Foundation, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Atif Rahman
- Department of Primary Care and Mental Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Abid Malik
- Human Development Research Foundation, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
| | - Kristin M Voegtline
- Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, MD, USA; Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Pamela J Surkan
- Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Lauren M Osborne
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
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Maguire RL, House JS, Lloyd DT, Skinner HG, Allen TK, Raffi AM, Skaar DA, Park SS, McCullough LE, Kollins SH, Bilbo SD, Collier DN, Murphy SK, Fuemmeler BF, Gowdy KM, Hoyo C. Associations between maternal obesity, gestational cytokine levels and child obesity in the NEST cohort. Pediatr Obes 2021; 16:e12763. [PMID: 33381912 PMCID: PMC8178180 DOI: 10.1111/ijpo.12763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although maternal systemic inflammation is hypothesized to link maternal pre-pregnancy obesity to offspring metabolic dysfunction, patient empirical data are limited. OBJECTIVES In this study, we hypothesized that pre-pregnancy obesity alters systemic chemo/cytokines concentrations in pregnancy, and this alteration contributes to obesity in children. METHODS In a multi-ethnic cohort of 361 mother-child pairs, we measured prenatal concentrations of plasma TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, IL-4, IFN-γ, IL-12 p70 subunit, and IL-17A using a multiplex ELISA and examined associations of pre-pregnancy obesity on maternal chemo/cytokine levels, and associations of these cytokine levels with offspring body mass index z score (BMI-z) at age 2-6 years using linear regression. RESULTS After adjusting for maternal smoking, ethnicity, age, and education, pre-pregnancy obesity was associated with increased concentrations of TNF-α (P = .026) and IFN-γ (P = .06). While we found no evidence for associations between TNF-α concentrations and offspring BMI-z, increased IFN-γ concentrations were associated with decreased BMI-z (P = .0002), primarily in Whites (P = .0011). In addition, increased maternal IL-17A concentrations were associated with increased BMI-z in offspring (P = .0005) with stronger associations in African Americans (P = .0042) than Whites (P = .24). CONCLUSIONS Data from this study are consistent with maternal obesity-related inflammation during pregnancy, increasing the risk of childhood obesity in an ethnic-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L. Maguire
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - John S. House
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA
| | - Dillon T. Lloyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Harlyn G. Skinner
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Asifa Mohamed Raffi
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David A. Skaar
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Sarah S. Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Scott H. Kollins
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Staci D. Bilbo
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - David N. Collier
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | - Susan K. Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Bernard F. Fuemmeler
- Department of Health Behavior and Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Kymberly M. Gowdy
- Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Cathrine Hoyo
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
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Spence T, Allsopp PJ, Yeates AJ, Mulhern MS, Strain JJ, McSorley EM. Maternal Serum Cytokine Concentrations in Healthy Pregnancy and Preeclampsia. J Pregnancy 2021; 2021:6649608. [PMID: 33680514 PMCID: PMC7925069 DOI: 10.1155/2021/6649608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2020] [Revised: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The maternal immune response is essential for successful pregnancy, promoting immune tolerance to the fetus while maintaining innate and adaptive immunity. Uncontrolled, increased proinflammatory responses are a contributing factor to the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. The Th1/Th2 cytokine shift theory, characterised by bias production of Th2 anti-inflammatory cytokine midgestation, was frequently used to reflect the maternal immune response in pregnancy. This theory is simplistic as it is based on limited information and does not consider the role of other T cell subsets, Th17 and Tregs. A range of maternal peripheral cytokines have been measured in pregnancy cohorts, albeit the changes in individual cytokine concentrations across gestation is not well summarised. Using available data, this review was aimed at summarising changes in individual maternal serum cytokine concentrations throughout healthy pregnancy and evaluating their association with preeclampsia. We report that TNF-α increases as pregnancy progresses, IL-8 decreases in the second trimester, and IL-4 concentrations remain consistent throughout gestation. Lower second trimester IL-10 concentrations may be an early predictor for developing preeclampsia. Proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-8, and IL-6) are significantly elevated in preeclampsia. More research is required to determine the usefulness of using cytokines, particularly IL-10, as early biomarkers of pregnancy health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toni Spence
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Philip J. Allsopp
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Alison J. Yeates
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Maria S. Mulhern
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - J. J. Strain
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Emeir M. McSorley
- Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK
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Dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines and inhibition of VEGFA in the human umbilical cord are associated with negative pregnancy outcomes. Placenta 2019; 87:16-22. [PMID: 31525711 DOI: 10.1016/j.placenta.2019.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 08/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cytokines and vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) are involved in all aspects of pregnancy: from placentation, through fetal development, parturition and neonatal well-being. Umbilical cord inflammatory cytokines and/or VEGF have not been well studied with respect to dysregulation associated with disorders of pregnancy or maternal/neonatal outcomes. METHODS Here we have used multiplex ELISA to screen umbilical cord lysates (comprising cord blood, endothelia and Wharton's jelly, n = 380), for levels of IFN-γ, IL1-β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and VEGFs A, C and D and associations with 46 ICD9/10 codes encompassing obstetric, maternal and neonatal variables. RESULTS No significant differences were observed for IFNγ, VEGFC or VEGFD with any clinical outcomes. The cytokines IL1-β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α showed varying levels of induction and suppression with primarily fetal-placental and neonatal complications. The largest number of significant differences between umbilical cytokines and clinical outcomes were observed for chorioamnionitis (IL1-β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α), and meconium passage during birth (IL1-β, IL-6, IL-8) where significant pro-inflammatory responses occurred and sex differences in IL-8 expression were noted. In contrast, gonococcal infection showed suppressed immune response significantly lowering IL1-β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α. For 12/46 negative pregnancy outcomes, strong suppression of VEGFA occurred. DISCUSSION Angiogenic and inflammatory changes in the umbilical cord could be detrimental by increasing vascular permeability in the umbilical artery or vein and/or altering vascular tone, either of which would alter blood flow affecting delivery and removal of compounds. Further elucidation of inflammatory responses in the umbilical cord may provide mechanistic understanding of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
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