Introduction

An imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory factors is implicated in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). Although IL10 (rs1800896) and IL6 (rs1800795) genotypes are known to influence circulating cytokine levels, their associations with longitudinal inflammatory profiles across pregnancy have not been well characterized.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective case–control study to longitudinally compare nine pro- and four anti-inflammatory cytokines across pregnancy based on IL6 and IL10 genotype. The cohort included 111 women with overweight/obesity (37 with PE; 74 without PE), matched 2:1, and predominantly Black (72%). Separate 3 × 3 mixed multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) assessed interactions between IL6 or IL10 genotype (between-subjects’ factor) and pregnancy trimester (within-subjects factor). Pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed in separate models for each genotype. Due to the exploratory nature of the study and the examination of clinical relevance, statistical significance was set at p = .10.

Results

Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels changed over pregnancy (p < .05) but were not associated with IL6 or IL10 genotype (all p > .10). Anti-inflammatory cytokine levels also varied across pregnancy (p < .05). IL6 genotype was not associated with anti-inflammatory cytokine levels (p > .10). In contrast, IL10 genotype was significantly associated with differences in anti-inflammatory cytokine levels across genotypes (V = 0.22, F (8,162) = 2.48, p = .014, η_p² = 0.11) and demonstrated an interaction effect with pregnancy trimester (V = 0.28, F (16,154) = 1.56, p = .087, η_p² = 0.14).

Conclusion

IL10 genotype may influence circulating anti-inflammatory cytokines across pregnancy and, as such, may contribute to preeclampsia by influencing anti-inflammatory cytokine expression across pregnancy.