Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy

Background/ObjectivesPregnancy complications are associated with adverse maternal–neonatal outcomes, but the underlying immune mechanisms remain unclear. Here we examined umbilical cord IL-17A levels and their link to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal infections (PIs).MethodsThis two...

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Main Authors: Tingting Li, Sufen Hu, Fangfang Guo, Youming He, Haiping Cheng, Mengying Wu, Yan Mao, Kexin Zhang, Juan Lin, Rui Li, Defei Ma, Shiting Li, Cheng Chen, Bing Hu, Mingbang Wang, Yingmei Xie
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Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Pediatrics
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1658039/full
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author Tingting Li
Sufen Hu
Fangfang Guo
Youming He
Haiping Cheng
Mengying Wu
Yan Mao
Kexin Zhang
Juan Lin
Rui Li
Defei Ma
Shiting Li
Cheng Chen
Bing Hu
Mingbang Wang
Yingmei Xie
author_facet Tingting Li
Sufen Hu
Fangfang Guo
Youming He
Haiping Cheng
Mengying Wu
Yan Mao
Kexin Zhang
Juan Lin
Rui Li
Defei Ma
Shiting Li
Cheng Chen
Bing Hu
Mingbang Wang
Yingmei Xie
author_sort Tingting Li
collection DOAJ
description Background/ObjectivesPregnancy complications are associated with adverse maternal–neonatal outcomes, but the underlying immune mechanisms remain unclear. Here we examined umbilical cord IL-17A levels and their link to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal infections (PIs).MethodsThis two-phase study analyzed 87 pregnant women (38 in the exploratory phase and 49 in the validation phase) from Shenzhen's Premature Infants Gut Microbiota Assembly and Neurodevelopment (PIGMAN) cohort, divided into perinatal complication (PC) (45 cases) and non-perinatal complication (NPC) (42 cases) groups. Cord blood IL-17A levels were measured by ELISA and analyzed as a continuous variable by Nonparametric rank-sum test and a categorical variable using Fisher's exact test.ResultsNonparametric analysis revealed consistently lower IL-17A levels in the PC group across both phases. The discovery phase median in the PC group was 0.67 pg/ml lower than the 5.68 pg/ml median in the NPC group (p = 0.001); in the validation phase, the PC and NPC group levels were 0.93 and 2.05 pg/ml (p = 0.012), respectively. Low IL-17A (<1 pg/ml) prevalence was significantly higher in PC cases (discovery: 61.9% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.002; validation: 50% vs. 36%, p = 0.031). Rank-sum test and Fisher's exact test demonstrated concordant results, confirming a robust association between reduced IL-17A levels and perinatal complications.ConclusionUmbilical cord blood from PC pregnancies exhibited significantly lower IL-17A levels compared to that from NPC pregnancies, suggesting compromised neonatal cellular immunity. These findings implicate IL-17A deficiency in the immune dysregulation associated with GDM and PI. Conversely, the higher IL-17A levels observed in NPC pregnancies may reflect its protective role in maternal–fetal immunity during early development.
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spelling doaj-art-9f2e07a6c52d4648874050cd0be915892025-08-20T03:36:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Pediatrics2296-23602025-08-011310.3389/fped.2025.16580391658039Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancyTingting Li0Sufen Hu1Fangfang Guo2Youming He3Haiping Cheng4Mengying Wu5Yan Mao6Kexin Zhang7Juan Lin8Rui Li9Defei Ma10Shiting Li11Cheng Chen12Bing Hu13Mingbang Wang14Yingmei Xie15Department of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaMaternity Ward, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaNursing Department, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaNursing Department, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Neonatology, Longgang District Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital of Shenzhen City [Affiliated Shenzhen Women and Children’s Hospital (Longgang) of Shantou University Medical College], Shenzhen, Guangdong, ChinaBackground/ObjectivesPregnancy complications are associated with adverse maternal–neonatal outcomes, but the underlying immune mechanisms remain unclear. Here we examined umbilical cord IL-17A levels and their link to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and perinatal infections (PIs).MethodsThis two-phase study analyzed 87 pregnant women (38 in the exploratory phase and 49 in the validation phase) from Shenzhen's Premature Infants Gut Microbiota Assembly and Neurodevelopment (PIGMAN) cohort, divided into perinatal complication (PC) (45 cases) and non-perinatal complication (NPC) (42 cases) groups. Cord blood IL-17A levels were measured by ELISA and analyzed as a continuous variable by Nonparametric rank-sum test and a categorical variable using Fisher's exact test.ResultsNonparametric analysis revealed consistently lower IL-17A levels in the PC group across both phases. The discovery phase median in the PC group was 0.67 pg/ml lower than the 5.68 pg/ml median in the NPC group (p = 0.001); in the validation phase, the PC and NPC group levels were 0.93 and 2.05 pg/ml (p = 0.012), respectively. Low IL-17A (<1 pg/ml) prevalence was significantly higher in PC cases (discovery: 61.9% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.002; validation: 50% vs. 36%, p = 0.031). Rank-sum test and Fisher's exact test demonstrated concordant results, confirming a robust association between reduced IL-17A levels and perinatal complications.ConclusionUmbilical cord blood from PC pregnancies exhibited significantly lower IL-17A levels compared to that from NPC pregnancies, suggesting compromised neonatal cellular immunity. These findings implicate IL-17A deficiency in the immune dysregulation associated with GDM and PI. Conversely, the higher IL-17A levels observed in NPC pregnancies may reflect its protective role in maternal–fetal immunity during early development.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1658039/fullinterleukin-17A (IL-17A)umbilical cord bloodperinatal complicationsgestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)perinatal infections
spellingShingle Tingting Li
Sufen Hu
Fangfang Guo
Youming He
Haiping Cheng
Mengying Wu
Yan Mao
Kexin Zhang
Juan Lin
Rui Li
Defei Ma
Shiting Li
Cheng Chen
Bing Hu
Mingbang Wang
Yingmei Xie
Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
Frontiers in Pediatrics
interleukin-17A (IL-17A)
umbilical cord blood
perinatal complications
gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
perinatal infections
title Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
title_full Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
title_fullStr Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
title_full_unstemmed Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
title_short Reduced IL-17A levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
title_sort reduced il 17a levels in neonates born to mothers with diabetes mellitus or infection during pregnancy
topic interleukin-17A (IL-17A)
umbilical cord blood
perinatal complications
gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM)
perinatal infections
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fped.2025.1658039/full
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