Associations between maternal physical activity and sedentary behavior and mRNA expression of oxidative stress and vascularization markers in term placenta of obese pregnant women: Findings of the DALI study

Mini-Oral Presentation B2.14

Authors

  • Saghi Zafaranieh University of Graz
  • Anna M. Dieberger Medical University of Graz
  • Gernot Desoye Medical University of Graz
  • David Simmons Western Sydney University
  • Mireille van Poppel University of Graz

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.621

Keywords:

Physical Activity, Lifestyle Intervention, Obesity, Pregnant Women, Health Promotion

Abstract

Background: Maternal obesity can affect placental development, often reflected in changes in oxidative stress and vascularization. Sufficient physical activity and reduced sedentary time might mitigate these effects. Purpose: To test if vascularization and oxidative stress in the placenta of obese pregnant mothers are associated with maternal moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time (ST). Methods: This is a contribution to the DALI study including women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) ≥29 kg/m2. Time spent in MVPA, and ST were measured with accelerometers at <20 ,24–28 and 35–37 weeks of gestation. Placental tissue was dissected from four quadrants, mRNA isolated and pooled per placenta. Expression of markers of vascularization (VEGF, PEDF, CD34) and oxidative stress (Lp_PLA2, GADD45α, GADD45β, Nrf2, HSP70, HO-1, MT2A) was quantified by NanoString nCounter Technology. In a two-step analysis, changes in MVPA and ST during pregnancy for each woman and average MVPA and ST were entered into multilevel regression models to estimate associations with mRNA expressions. Results: Outcomes were available from 96 women. Higher average maternal ST was only associated with higher expression of the anti-oxidative lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp_PLA2; 0.5; 95% CI 0.1, 0.9). Changes in MVPA or ST over time were not associated with mRNA expression. Conclusions: While no significant association was observed between maternal lifestyle and mRNA expression of the vascularization markers, ST might associate with oxidative stress levels in placenta. To better understand this, serum oxidative stress markers and total antioxidant capacity will be measured in maternal and cord blood. Funding: The DALI project has received funding from the European Community’s 7th Framework Program (FP7/2007–2013) under grant agreement no 242187.

Published

2021-09-30

How to Cite

Zafaranieh, S., Dieberger, A., Desoye, G., Simmons, D., & van Poppel, M. (2021). Associations between maternal physical activity and sedentary behavior and mRNA expression of oxidative stress and vascularization markers in term placenta of obese pregnant women: Findings of the DALI study: Mini-Oral Presentation B2.14. The Health & Fitness Journal of Canada, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.14288/hfjc.v14i3.621