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AJP Rep 2016; 06(03): e329-e336
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1592414
Case Report
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Pregnancy-Related Changes of Amino Acid and Acylcarnitine Concentrations: The Impact of Obesity

Kelli K. Ryckman
1   Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
,
Brittney M. Donovan
1   Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
,
Diedre K. Fleener
2   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
,
Bruce Bedell
3   Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
,
Kristi S. Borowski
4   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

05 July 2016

09 August 2016

Publication Date:
21 September 2016 (online)

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Abstract

Objective Our primary objective was to assess the difference in amino and fatty acid biomarkers throughout pregnancy in women with and without obesity. Interactions between biomarkers and obesity status for associations with maternal and fetal metabolic measures were secondarily analyzed.

Methods Overall 39 women (15 cases, 24 controls) were enrolled in this study during their 15- to 20-weeks' visit at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. We analyzed 32 amino acid and acylcarnitine concentrations with tandem mass spectrometry for differences throughout pregnancy as well as among women with and without obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 35, BMI < 25).

Results There were substantial changes in amino acids and acylcarnitine metabolites between the second and third trimesters (nonfasting state) of pregnancy that were significant after correcting for multiple testing (p < 0.002). Examining differences by maternal obesity, C8:1 (second trimester) and C2, C4-OH, C18:1 (third trimester) were higher in women with obesity compared with women without obesity. Several metabolites were marginally (0.002 < p < 0.05) correlated with birth weight, maternal glucose, and maternal weight gain stratified by obesity status and trimester.

Conclusions Understanding maternal metabolism throughout pregnancy and the influence of obesity is a critical step in identifying potential mechanisms that may contribute to adverse outcomes in pregnancies complicated by obesity.

Keywords

acylcarnitines - fatty acids - amino acids - maternal obesity - pregnancy - longitudinal

Supplementary Material

 

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