BACKGROUND: Galanin is a 29/30-amino acid peptide that stimulates food intake and regulates energy metabolism. A significantly higher level of plasma galanin was found in diabetes in non-pregnant women, but there are no data regarding galanin levels in diabetes in pregnant women. In this study we compared plasma galanin concentrations in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study registered twenty pregnant women with GDM and twenty pregnant women with NGT. Fasting venous blood samples were collected from all cases. Galanin was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: A statistically significant higher level of galanin was found in pregnant women with GDM compared with NGT (P<0.001). In addition, a significant positive correlation was shown between galanin and glucose (P<0.001), galanin and BMI (P=0.008) in pregnant women with GDM, although there was no association between galanin and insulin and/or galanin and HbA1c. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating galanin levels are higher in patients with GDM. Circulating galanin levels appear to be related to the changes of blood glucose in GDM. The higher level of galanin observed in GDM may represent a physiological adaptation to the rise of glucose associated with GDM.
BACKGROUND: Galanin is a 29/30-amino acid peptide that stimulates food intake and regulates energy metabolism. A significantly higher level of plasma galanin was found in diabetes in non-pregnant women, but there are no data regarding galanin levels in diabetes in pregnant women. In this study we compared plasma galanin concentrations in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study registered twenty pregnant women with GDM and twenty pregnant women with NGT. Fasting venous blood samples were collected from all cases. Galanin was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: A statistically significant higher level of galanin was found in pregnant women with GDM compared with NGT (P<0.001). In addition, a significant positive correlation was shown between galanin and glucose (P<0.001), galanin and BMI (P=0.008) in pregnant women with GDM, although there was no association between galanin and insulin and/or galanin and HbA1c. CONCLUSIONS: Circulating galanin levels are higher in patients with GDM. Circulating galanin levels appear to be related to the changes of blood glucose in GDM. The higher level of galanin observed in GDM may represent a physiological adaptation to the rise of glucose associated with GDM.
Authors: Héctor Fabio Sandoval-Alzate; Yessica Agudelo-Zapata; Angélica María González-Clavijo; Natalia E Poveda; Cristian Felipe Espinel-Pachón; Jorge Augusto Escamilla-Castro; Heidy Lorena Márquez-Julio; Hernando Alvarado-Quintero; Fabián Guillermo Rojas-Rodríguez; Juan Manuel Arteaga-Díaz; Javier Hernando Eslava-Schmalbach; Maria Fernanda Garcés-Gutiérrez; Maria Vrontakis; Justo P Castaño; Raul M Luque; Carlos Diéguez; Rubén Nogueiras; Jorge E Caminos Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2016-08-23 Impact factor: 4.379