Is Chemerin associated with gestational diabetes mellitus? An evidence-based clinical research from Chinese women

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the association between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and Chemerin, by analysing Chemerin level, clinical data and biochemical parameters among 46 GDM patients and 43 controls. It was found that the Chemerin levels from cord blood, peripheral blood, adipose tissue and placenta tissue were all significantly higher in the GDM group than those in the control group (p < .05 for all). Maternal insulin resistance (IR) index and serum inflammation parameters, including C-reactive protein and white blood cells, were also higher in GDM group (p < .05 for all). Moreover, maternal IR index and circulating insulin level were both positively correlated with maternal circulating Chemerin level (p < .05 for both). Our findings suggest that Chemerin, associated with IR and more expressed in GDM women, might participate in the pathogenesis of GDM.

Impact Statement

• What is already known on this subject: Chemerin, a recently-discovered adipocytokine, has been widely-considered to be involved in metabolic diseases, and several studies have investigated it in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), but with no consensus about the level comparison between GDM and controls.

• What the results of this study add: The present case-control study found that the levels of Chemerin from cord blood, peripheral blood, adipose tissue and placenta tissue were all significantly higher in the GDM group.

• What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research: Also, the circulating Chemerin level was positively correlated with insulin index, which we thought would add to the evidence that Chemerin does be associated with GDM, contributing to elucidating the pathogenesis of GDM.

Keywords:

• Gestational diabetes mellitus
• Chemerin
• insulin resistance

Disclosure statement

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 81701465; the Health Department of Zhejiang Province under Grant 2015KYA127 and Grant 2016KYA122; and the Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province under Grant LY17H040008.