Placental Insulin/IGF-1 Signaling, PGC-1α, and Inflammatory Pathways Are Associated With Metabolic Outcomes at 4–6 Years of Age: The ECHO Healthy Start Cohort

What is it about?

Using donated placentas from 109 women, we measured proteins in the placental tissue involved in inflammation and insulin signaling. Our hypothesis was that these proteins would be linked to the children’s health later in life. When the children came for a voluntary follow-up visit at 4-6 years of age, we measured their weight, the thickness of their skinfolds, and how much insulin and triglycerides (fats) they had in their blood. We found that having higher levels of a protein called IGF-1 in the placenta was linked to the children later having higher levels of triglycerides in their blood at age 4-6 years. Having higher levels of two other proteins involved with insulin (GSK3B and JNK2) in the placenta was also linked to thicker skinfolds in the children. These results give new insight into how metabolic signalling in the placenta is association with future cardiometabolic health in children.

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