Fetal Serum Metabolites Are Independently Associated with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Background/Aims: Gestational diabetes (GDM) might be associated with alterations in the metabolomic profile of affected mothers and their offspring. Until now, there is a paucity of studies that investigated both, the maternal and the fetal serum metabolome in the setting of GDM. Mounting evidence suggests that the fetus is not just passively affected by gestational disease but might play an active role in it. Metabolomic studies performed in maternal blood and fetal cord blood could help to better discern distinct fetal from maternal disease interactions. Methods: At the time of birth, serum samples from mothers and newborns (cord blood samples) were collected and screened for 163 metabolites utilizing tandem mass spectrometry. The cohort consisted of 412 mother/child pairs, including 31 cases of maternal GDM. Results: An initial non-adjusted analysis showed that eight metabolites in the maternal blood and 54 metabolites in the cord blood were associated with GDM. After Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) procedure and adjustment for confounding factors for GDM, fetal phosphatidylcholine acyl-alkyl C 32:1 and proline still showed an independent association with GDM. Conclusions: This study found metabolites in cord blood which were associated with GDM, even after adjustment for established risk factors of GDM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating an independent association between fetal

Integrated microbiome–metabolome analysis reveals novel associations between fecal microbiota and hyperglycemia-related changes of plasma metabolome in gestational diabetes mellitus

“…Maternal blood lactate (the salt form of lactic acid) level has a signicant role in determining the metabolic milieu of both mother and the fetus, which was reported to be signicantly higher in GDM mothers than in the NDM control. 25 The level of proline in the umbilical vein and artery of GDM was associated with hyperglycemia 26 and was reported to be signicantly increased in women with GDM, 27 which is similar to the observation of this study. In accordance with the nding of this study, the level of galactitol was elevated in maternal serum, amniotic uid and the fetal cord serum, 28 suggesting that galactitol could cross the placental barrier and exert effects on the fetus.…”

The fecal metabolome is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus

“…18,29 GDM associated metabolic disorders have been reported in maternal blood, 30 maternal urine, 31,32 cord blood 33 and fetal serum. 34 In addition to the previous reports, this study provides evidences to support metabolic disorder in feces of women with GDM. Changes in metabolic pathways during pregnancy were revealed by previous metabolomics studies.…”

The application of metabolomics analysis in the research of gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia

“…As shown in Figure 2B, the normal group was at the far right of the model, so it could be effectively distinguished from the GDM and PE group. Both t [1] and t [2] of women in the GDM group and the PE pregnancy group were…”