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Postnatal changes in concentrations of free and bound leptin
T K Hytinantti1, M Juntunen, H A Koistinen
1Helsinki City Maternity Hospital, Helsinki, Finland. timo.hytinantti@hus.fi
Insights
Maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) increases free and bound leptin at birth. These levels decrease postnatally, with GDM infants showing a sustained higher percentage of free leptin.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Neonatal Metabolism
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Leptin, a key metabolic regulator, plays a role in fetal development and postnatal adaptation.
- Maternal diabetes can impact fetal growth and metabolic programming.
- Understanding leptin dynamics in infants of diabetic mothers is crucial for assessing long-term health outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on cord and postnatal leptin concentrations.
- To differentiate between free and bound leptin levels in infants exposed to GDM in utero.
- To assess the changes in leptin concentrations and proportions during early postnatal adaptation.
Main Methods:
- Measurement of total, bound, and free leptin concentrations in cord plasma and plasma at 3 days of age.
- Comparison between 13 term infants of mothers with GDM and 13 term infants of healthy mothers.
- Statistical analysis to determine significant differences between groups and over time.
Main Results:
- Infants born to mothers with GDM exhibited significantly higher total, bound, and free leptin concentrations at birth.
- The percentage of free leptin was also significantly higher at birth in the GDM group.
- While leptin levels decreased in all infants by day 3, the GDM group maintained a higher percentage of free leptin, which declined in the control group.
Conclusions:
- Gestational diabetes mellitus significantly influences fetoplacental leptin metabolism.
- Altered maternal glucose and/or insulin levels likely mediate these effects on leptin.
- These findings suggest a potential impact on infant metabolic programming due to GDM-induced leptin changes.
Aim:
To evaluate the effect of maternal diabetes on the concentrations of free and bound leptin at birth and during postnatal adaptation.
Methods:
Total, bound, and free leptin concentrations and the percentage of free leptin were measured in cord plasma and plasma at 3 days of age of 13 term infants of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 13 term infants of healthy mothers. Gestational age was 40.2 (1.4) weeks, and birth weight was 3693 (549) g (means (SD)).
Results:
At birth, infants of mothers with GDM had significantly higher concentrations of total, bound, and free leptin and a higher percentage of free leptin (all p < 0.05). In all infants, these concentrations were significantly lower at 3 days of age than at birth (all p < 0.003), and the differences in concentrations of total, bound, and free leptin between the two groups were no longer significant. In infants of mothers with GDM, the percentage of free leptin remained unchanged, and was higher (p<0.05) than in infants of healthy mothers; in the latter group the percentage of free leptin significantly declined (p = 0.02).
Conclusions:
GDM appears to influence fetoplacental leptin metabolism. This effect may be mediated through altered maternal glucose metabolism, or insulinaemia, or both.
