Increased Maternal and Cord Blood Betatrophin in Gestational Diabetes

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 10; no. 6; p. e0131171
• Main Authors: Wawrusiewicz-Kurylonek, Natalia, Telejko, Beata, Kuzmicki, Mariusz, Sobota, Angelika, Lipinska, Danuta, Pliszka, Justyna, Raczkowska, Beata, Kuc, Pawel, Urban, Remigiusz, Szamatowicz, Jacek, Kretowski, Adam, Laudanski, Piotr, Gorska, Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 26.06.2015; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adipose tissue; Adult; Angiopoietin-like Proteins; Beta cells; Blood; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Blood levels; Case-Control Studies; Cell growth; Cord blood; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes, Gestational - blood; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Female; Fetal Blood - metabolism; Fibronectins - blood; Gene expression; Gestation; Gestational diabetes; Glucose; Glucose tolerance; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Insulin; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin resistance; Patients; Peptide Hormones - blood; Peptides; Placenta; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; RNA; Up-Regulation; Women's health; Womens health; Poland
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131171

The aim of the study was to compare maternal and cord blood levels of betatrophin--a new peptide potentially controlling beta cell growth--as well as in its mRNA expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue, visceral adipose tissue and placental tissue obtained from pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and gestational diabetes (GDM). Serum betatrophin and irisin concentrations were measured by ELISA in 93 patients with GDM and 97 women with NGT between 24 and 28 week of gestation. Additionally, maternal and cord blood betatrophin and irisin, as well as their genes (C19orf80 and Fndc5) expression were evaluated in 20 patients with GDM and 20 women with NGT at term. In both groups, serum betatrophin concentrations were significantly higher in the patients with GDM than in the controls (1.91 [1.40-2.60] ng/ml vs 1.63 [1.21-2.22] ng/ml, p=0.03 and 3.45 [2.77-6.53] ng/ml vs 2.78 [2.16-3.65] ng/ml, p=0.03, respectively). Cord blood betatrophin levels were also higher in the GDM than in the NGT group (20.43 [12.97-28.80] ng/ml vs 15.06 [10.11-21.36] ng/ml, p=0.03). In both groups betatrophin concentrations in arterial cord blood were significantly higher than in maternal serum (p=0.0001). Serum irisin levels were significantly lower in the patients with GDM (1679 [1308-2171] ng/ml) than in the healthy women between 24 and 28 week of pregnancy (1880 [1519-2312] ng/ml, p=0.03). Both C19orf80 and Fndc5 mRNA expression in fat and placental tissue did not differ significantly between the groups studied. Our results suggest that an increase in maternal and cord blood betatrophin might be a compensatory mechanism for enhanced insulin demand in GDM.