Moderate Exercise Attenuates Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammation and Associated Maternal and Fetal Morbidities in Pregnant Rats

• Published in: PloS one 2016-04, Vol.11 (4), p.e0154405-e0154405
• Main Authors: Kasawara, Karina T, Cotechini, Tiziana, Macdonald-Goodfellow, Shannyn K, Surita, Fernanda G, Pinto E Silva, João L, Tayade, Chandrakant, Othman, Maha, Ozolinš, Terence R S, Graham, Charles H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aberration; Animal experimentation; Animals; Biology and Life Sciences; Blood; Blood Coagulation - drug effects; Blood flow; Complications; Cytokines; E coli; Exercise; Female; Fetal growth retardation; Fetal Growth Retardation - chemically induced; Fetal Growth Retardation - physiopathology; Fetal Growth Retardation - prevention & control; Fetus; Fetuses; Fitness training programs; Gestational Age; Gynecology; Health aspects; Hemostasis; Hemostatics; Inflammation; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - physiopathology; Inflammation - therapy; Laboratories; Leukocyte Count; Leukocytes; Lipopolysaccharides; Lipopolysaccharides - pharmacology; Medicine and Health Sciences; Nutrition; Obstetrics; Pampus; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Physical fitness; Placenta; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Risk factors; Rodents; Systematic review; Thrombelastography; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154405

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) and coagulopathies are often associated with aberrant maternal inflammation. Moderate-intensity exercise during pregnancy has been shown to increase utero-placental blood flow and to enhance fetal nutrition as well as fetal and placental growth. Furthermore, exercise is known to reduce inflammation. To evaluate the effect of moderate-intensity exercise on inflammation associated with the development of maternal coagulopathies and FGR, Wistar rats were subjected to an exercise regime before and during pregnancy. To model inflammation-induced FGR, pregnant rats were administered daily intraperitoneal injections of E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on gestational days (GD) 13.5-16.5 and sacrificed at GD 17.5. Control rats were injected with saline. Maternal hemostasis was assessed by thromboelastography. Moderate-intensity exercise prevented LPS-mediated increases in white blood cell counts measured on GD 17.5 and improved maternal hemostasis profiles. Importantly, our data reveal that exercise prevented LPS-induced FGR. Moderate-intensity exercise initiated before and maintained during pregnancy may decrease the severity of maternal and perinatal complications associated with abnormal maternal inflammation.