Maternal obesity and high leptin levels prime pro-inflammatory pathways in human cord blood leukocytes.

Introduction: Maternal obesity alters the immune function in the offspring. We hypothesize that maternal obesity and pro-inflammatory pathways induce leptin-related genes in neonatal monocytes, whereby high leptin levels enhance their inflammatory response.

Methods: Transcriptional profiles of cord blood leukocytes (CBL) in basal and pro-inflammatory conditions were studied to determine differentially expressed genes (DEG).