Conclusion:No differences were found in serum chemerin, RBP-4, and visfatin between pregnant women with GDM and healthy pregnant women. Further prospective studies will be essential to elucidate the contribution of adipokines to GDM and the positive correlation between maternal RBP-4 and chemerin. (J Turk Ger Gynecol Assoc 2016; 17: 186-90) Keywords: Chemerin, retinol binding protein-4, visfatin, gestational diabetes Received: 13 July, 2016 Accepted: 15 October, 2016 Are adipokines associated with gestational diabetes mellitus? Abstract levels of chemerin are detected in obesity and are associated with multiple components of metabolic syndromes, including body mass index (BMI), triglycerides, high density cholesterol, hypertension, inflammation, and markers of liver pathology (10). Chemerin is also expressed in human placenta (11). Serum levels of chemerin correlate significantly with systemic markers of inflammation, such as TNF-alpha, interleukin 6, and C-reactive protein (12). Overall, these findings suggest that chemerin levels are related to adiposity and glucose metabolism. They also represent a possible link between obesity and the development of GDM. Retinol binding protein-4 is a blood carrier protein for retinol that is synthesized in hepatocytes and adipocytes (13). Increased levels of RBP-4 have been demonstrated in several metabolic conditions, including obesity, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary syndrome, and cardiovascular disease (14). Also, RBP-4 is believed to induce expression of enzymes involved in gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes and to impair insulin signaling pathways in skeletal muscle (15). Visfatin is predominantly secreted by visceral tissue; however, it is also found in skeletal muscle, liver, bone marrow, lymphocytes, and placenta (16). Visfatin promotes adipogenesis and exerts insulin-mimetic effects (17). It also upregulates production of proinflammatory cytokines by monocytes (18). Circulating levels of visfatin are increased in patients with type 1 and 2 DM and obesity (13,19). However, the association of visfatin with GDM is still unclear (20). Only a few adipokines have been investigated with respect to their involvement in GDM. Evidence in the existing literature does not support clear roles of chemerin, RBP-4, and visfatin in the prediction of GDM. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association of maternal serum levels of chemerin, RBP-4, visfatin, and insulin with GDM. Therefore, we performed a prospective cross-sectional study in pregnant women with GDM and with normal glucose tolerance.
Material and Methods
Study populationThis cross-sectional study was conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of Hitit University between March 2015 and September 2015. The ethics committee of Ankara Numune Hospital approved the study, which was in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, 2013 Brazil version (20796219-724.131). All participants gave written informed consent for the study. The patients were 18 to 35 years of age and had singleton pregnancies. ...