A Critical Review of Proteomic Studies in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a progressive and complex pregnancy complication, which threatens both maternal and fetal health. It is urgent to screen for specific biomarkers for early diagnosis and precise treatment, as well as to identify key moleculars to better understand the pathogenic mechanisms. In the present review, we comprehensively summarized recent studies of gestational diabetes using mass spectrometry-based proteomic technologies. Focused on the entire experimental design and proteomic results, we showed that these studies have covered a broad range of research contents in terms of sampling time, sample types, and outcome associations. Although most of the studies only stayed in the stage of initial discovery, several proteins were further verified to be efficient for disease diagnosis. Functional analysis of all the combined significant proteins also showed that a small number of proteins are known to be involved in the regulation of insulin or indirect signaling pathways. However, many factors such as diagnostic criteria, sample processing, proteomic method, and statistical method can greatly affect the identification of reproducible and reliable protein candidates. Thus, we further provided constructive suggestions and recommendations for carrying out proteomic or follow-up studies of gestational diabetes or other pregnancy complications in the future.

Parental Programming of Offspring Health: The Intricate Interplay between Diet, Environment, Reproduction and Development

“…Due to the significant long-term impacts of gestational diabetes on both the mother’s and offspring’s heath, many studies have started to devise predictive methodologies with which to identify those females most at risk [ 39 ]. Such studies have focused on identifying specific biomarkers, such as changes in DNA methylation of specific genes (e.g., SLC16A11 ) [ 40 ], tissue proteome and transcriptome profiling [ 41 ]; elucidating and characterizing the biochemical cargo of extracellular vesicles [ 42 ]; and establishing optimal dietary regimens [ 43 ]. Interestingly, studies have indicated that multiple micronutrient supplementation in women from high-income countries is associated with an increased risk of developing gestational diabetes and fetal overgrowth [ 44 , 45 ].…”

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus—Innovative Approach to Prediction, Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Future NCD—Mother and Offspring

“…Proteomic screening in early pregnancy has revealed multiple potential protein markers, including a cluster associated with insulin secretion, binding, resistance, and signaling for later GDM ( 17 , 18 ). Ravnsborg et al have reported that vitronectin, which is also associated with metabolic syndrome outside pregnancy, significantly augments the predictive power of maternal risk factors ( 17 ) and may prove to be a valuable predictor in clinical use.…”

Associations of Dietary Bioactive Compounds with Maternal Adiposity and Inflammation in Gestational Diabetes: An Update on Observational and Clinical Studies

“…Ascertaining the metabolic profiles of women at risk for or diagnosed with overt GDM will further shape precision medicine in which complex metabolic profiles are used to correctly identify at-risk women, aid in diagnosis, predict the efficacy of therapies, and individualize treatment. In addition to metabolomics research, ongoing proteomics research in GDM is attempting to discern proteins from various maternal tissues that will enable early and accurate predictions of risk and complications as well as precise diagnoses [ 93 ]. In summary, it is highly likely that research in metabolomics and proteomics will generate profound advancements in treating GDM.…”