A role for maternally derived myokines to optimize placental function and fetal growth across gestation

Abstract

Exercise during pregnancy is associated with improved health outcomes for both mother and baby, including a reduced risk of future obesity and susceptibility to chronic diseases. Overwhelming evidence demonstrates a protective effect of maternal exercise against fetal birth weight extremes, reducing the rates of both large- and small-for-gestational-age infants. It is speculated that this protective effect is mediated in part through exercise-induced regulation of maternal physiology and placental development and function. However, the specific mechanisms through which maternal exercise regulates these changes remain to be discovered. We hypothesize that myokines, a collection of peptides and cytokines secreted from contracting skeletal muscles during exercise, may be an important missing link in the story. Myokines are known to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism and enhance macronutrient transporter expression and activity in various tissues of nonpregnant individuals. Little research to date has focused on the specific roles of the myokine secretome in the context of pregnancy; however, it is likely that myokines secreted from exercising skeletal muscles may modulate the maternal milieu and directly impact the vital organ of pregnancy-the placenta. In the current review, data in strong support of this potential role of myokines will be presented, suggesting myokine secretion as a key mechanism through which maternal exercise optimizes fetal growth trajectories. It is clear that further research is warranted in this area, as knowledge of the biological roles of myokines in the context of pregnancy would better inform clinical recommendations for exercise during pregnancy and contribute to the development of important therapeutic interventions.

Examination of the Myokine Response in Pregnant and Non-pregnant Women Following an Acute Bout of Moderate-Intensity Walking

“…To date, the circulating myokine profile resulting from PA has yet to be examined in the context of human pregnancy. Dubé et al (2017) postulate that myokines released during PA may play a role in the optimization of fetal and placental growth outcomes. Hundreds of these peptides have been identified, including, IL-6, IL-15, and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) (Leal et al, 2018).…”

Study on the Application of GE-E10 Ultrasound Equipment to Estimate Fetus Weight and Compare Its Accuracy With Birth Weight

“…Some scholars have found in their studies that the measurement of abdominal circumference before delivery has a high diagnostic value for predicting macrosomia [11]. However, it was found in the study of Dube C [12] that the accuracy of estimating fetal weight by single-parameter of abdominal circumference would be reduced due to the in uence of multiple factors, such as fetal position, amniotic uid and lling degree of fetal stomach bubble and etc. The uterine height and abdominal circumference are traditional indexes for fetal weight estimation, which are not easily affected by other factors.…”

Associations of maternal immune response with MeHg exposure at 28 weeks’ gestation in the Seychelles Child Development Study

“…Serum concentrations of VEGF have been found to be higher during early pregnancy than in non-pregnancy, 70 reflecting the increase in maternal blood volume and development of the utero-placental circulation. 71 An imbalance in angiogenesis markers has been implicated in pre-eclampsia, 72 although no differences in VEGF-D have been found between pre-eclamptic and normotensive pregnant women. 73 Treatment of mast cells with inorganic HgCl 2 was shown to stimulate VEGF-D and IL-6 release, which could in turn promote inflammation at the blood-brain-barrier.…”