Maternal telomere length and oxidative stress in pregnancy: cross-sectional analysis with an exploratory examination of systemic inflammation
Our findings suggest that in normative pregnancies, both oxidative stress and inflammation are independently associated with longer telomere length. Given that these associations are inconsistent with the role of oxidative stress and inflammation on telomere biology in non-pregnant samples, future work should aim to replicate these findings in both normal and high-risk pregnancies, explore mechanisms underlying these associations using longitudinal designs, and examine how these relationships influence maternal and fetal health.
Authors
- W. Roger Mills‐Koonce (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9923-1831)
- Sarah J. Short (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0985-999X)
- Cathi B. Propper (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9174-1263)
- Laura Etzel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6958-7052)
- Abner T. Apsley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3420-7491)
- Leonardo Betiol Petri
- Qiaofeng Ye (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5310-5306)
- Chris Chiaro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3420-7491)
- Idan Shalev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0773-4835)
- John Kozlosky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-5556)
Institutions
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Social Science Research Council (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- Duke University (US)
- Neurobehavioral Systems (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
- Published
- 2025-04-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-025-07542-y
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Birth, Development, and Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 13.98
Funders
- National Institute of Nursing Research
- Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development