Maternal exercise alters placental proteome in an exercise mode-specific manner

Abstract

Maternal exercise is a widely recommended and safe intervention associated with the improvement of maternal gestational and infant metabolic health. While various modes of exercise are deemed safe during pregnancy, the effects of supervised maternal aerobic, resistance, and combination (aerobic+resistance) exercise remain understudied. Specifically, it remains unknown how different modes of maternal exercise affect the placenta, an organ central to maternal-fetal communication and successful pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to characterize the placental proteomic changes in response to controlled and supervised maternal exercise during gestation. Results showed that the placental proteomic landscape changes in an maternal exercise mode-specific way. Additionally, proteomics revealed that ~20% of the identified placental proteins were associated with maternal exercise volume during gestation. These results highlight the differential effect maternal exercise modes have on the placental proteome and further implicate the placenta in mediating the effects of maternal exercise on maternal and infant health.