Abstract
Objective
The immune system plays a central role in the pathophysiology of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Monocytes, the main innate immune cells, are especially important in the maintenance of a normal pregnancy. Here, we investigated the potential effect of monocytes in GDM.
Materials and Methods: Monocyte count was monitored throughout pregnancy in 214 women with GDM and 926 women without in a case-control and cohort study. Circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines, placenta-derived macrophages and their products were measured.
Results
Throughout pregnancy, monocyte count was significantly decreased in women with GDM, and closely associated with glucose level, insulin resistance and newborn weight. First-trimester monocyte count outperformed that of the second and third trimester as a risk factor and diagnostic predictor of GDM and macrosomia in both the case-control and cohort study. In addition, our cohort study showed that as first-trimester monocyte count decreased, GDM and macrosomia incidence, glucose level and newborn weight increased in a stepwise manner. Risk of GDM started to decrease rapidly when first-trimester monocyte count exceeded 0.48 × 10 9/L. Notably, CD206 and IL-10 were significantly lower, while CD80, CD86, TNF-α and IL-6 were higher in both GDM placental tissue and peripheral blood. First-trimester monocyte count was positively related to IL-10 and CD206, but negatively related to CD80, CD86, TNF-α and IL-6.
Conclusions
Decreased monocyte count throughout pregnancy was closely-associated with the development of GDM, macrosomia and the chronic inflammatory state of GDM. First-trimester monocyte count has great potential as an early diagnostic marker of GDM.
Plasma retinol-binding protein 4 in the first and second trimester and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus in Chinese women: a nested case-control study