Prenatal Exercise Training Alters Plasma Metabolite Responses To Acute Exercise In Pregnant Women With Obesity

PURPOSE:This study investigates how exercise training impacts post-exercise metabolites in sedentary, pregnant women with obesity. METHODS:This secondary analysis of participants included 119 sedentary pregnant women with obesity (age: 28 ± 5 yrs), assigned to an exercise (EX, N = 66, aerobic/resistance 3x/wk from ~13 wks to birth) or control (CON, N = 53, standard of care) group (RCT, NCT02125149). Participants underwent submaximal fitness tests at 12- and 24-wks with a workload increase to 15 RPE. Fingerstick blood samples post-exercise were analyzed using untargeted metabolomics (LC-MS/MS). Linear mixed models assessed the effects of gestation and exercise-by-gestation interaction (FDR < 0.1). RESULTS:A total of 401 metabolites were annotated. Four metabolites exhibited an exercise-by-gestation interaction: nicotinamide and cis-13,14-methylene heptadecanoic acid increased in CON over time and remained stable in EX. 2-hydroxy-3-methylbutyric acid was reduced in EX over time but remained unchanged in CON. Sarcosine was reduced in CON over time but remained unchanged in EX. A time effect was observed in 125 metabolites. For instance, in both groups throughout gestation, there was a reduction in post-exercise metabolites related to lipid/macronutrient metabolism/transport (e.g., D-carnitine, acetyl-L-carnitine, decanoylcarnitine), amino acid and betaine/homocysteine metabolism (e.g., 4-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, dimethylglycine), and microbe-associated xenometabolism (e.g., α-hydroxyisobutyric acid, crotonobetaine). Additionally, throughout gestation, there was an increase in post-exercise metabolites related to sex hormone production and stress response (e.g., estriol 17-sulfate, cortisone), complex lipid and bile metabolism (e.g., palmitoyl sphingomyelin, tauro-α-muricholic acid), nucleotide metabolism (e.g., β-pseudouridine, N6-me-adenosine), and adaptations to oxidative stress (e.g., kynurenine metabolite 2,3-pyridinedicarboxylic acid, 3-aminobenzamide) in both groups. CONCLUSION:In conclusion, prenatal exercise training alters post-exercise metabolites related to energy production, inflammation, and hormonal regulation. Other metabolites change during pregnancy, reflecting the adaptation to gestation regardless of exercise training. Supported by: USDA-ARS# 6026-10700-001-000D (Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center)