Insulin resistance biomarkers in small-for-gestational-age infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objective

Early alterations in glucose homeostasis increase the risk of developing insulin resistance (IR) and obesity later in life. The study aimed to ascertain the peripheral blood levels of hormones that controlling glucose homeostasis and inflammatory factors that are correlated with IR and fetal outcomes in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Methods

This cohort study included a total of 90 SGA infants born to mothers with GDM (n = 37) and without GDM (n = 53). At birth, blood levels of glucose, insulin, C-peptide, growth hormone (GH), IGFBP3, lipid profiles, fibrinogen, and hypersensitive C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) were measured; homeostatic model assessment-IR (HOMA-IR) and ponderal index were calculated. All newborns were followed up to the first year of life.

Results

Compared with SGA infants born to mothers without GDM, the levels of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), GH, and fibrinogen were significantly higher in the SGA infants born to mothers with GDM (p = .048, .045, and .04, respectively). However, total cholesterol, HDL-C, and apolipoprotein(a) levels were significantly lower in the SGA infants born to mothers with GDM when compared with those in with SGA infants born to mothers without GDM (all p < .05). Weight gain in the first year was higher in the SGA infants born to mothers with GDM group than SGA infants born to mothers without GDM [6644 g (5991–7572) vs. 6032 g (5529–6932)].

Conclusions

Altered biomarkers of IR were observed among SGA infants born to mothers with GDM, suggesting that these infants were more prone to develop IR after birth.

Keywords:

• Gestational diabetes mellitus
• small-for-gestational-age
• insulin resistance
• biomarker
• inflammatory factors

Acknowledgments

The authors express our appreciation to all the study participants and members of the department of neonatology, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre. The authors are profoundly grateful to the clinic staff who collaborated with us on this study: Jieyi Liang, Liming Lai, and Dabing Huang.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province under Grant 2016A020215177.