title: Peripheral blood concentrations of adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific plasma protein, in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia.
abstract: Insulin resistance increases during the normal course of pregnancy, and is considered an important cause of complications including gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia (PE). Adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific plasma protein, is thought to enhance insulin sensitivity; another adipocytokine, leptin, also is thought to promote insulin sensitivity. We determined peripheral blood concentrations of adiponectin and leptin in 40 healthy nonpregnant women with a body mass index (BMI)<25, 40 healthy pregnant women with prepregnancy BMI<25, and 15 PE patients with prepregnancy BMI<25. Serum adiponectin concentrations were lower in the healthy pregnant group than in the nonpregnant group (9.40+/-4.43 versus 13.15+/-6.69 microg/mL, p<0.01), but difference disappeared after correction for haematocrit. Serum leptin concentrations were high in the normal pregnant group after correction for haematocrit (10.08+/-6.58 versus 6.24+/-3.61 ng/mL, p<0.05). Corrected after haematocrit, serum adiponectin in PE patients was higher than healthy pregnant women at 28 to 40 gestational weeks (17.46+/-11.81 versus 9.33+/-4.47 microg/mL, p<0.01). Leptin in PE was higher than in the normal pregnant group (21.15+/-19.89 versus 11.77+/-6.25 ng/mL, p<0.05), also after correction for haematocrit. These results suggested a metabolic shift in normal pregnant women and PE patients mediated through adipocytokines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijo-cho, Kashihara City, Nara 6348522, Japan. naruse@naramed-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Naruse
authors.forename: Mineo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Hideshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Umekage
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sado
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morikawa
mesh_terms: D017667:Adipocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D052242:Adiponectin; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D052242:Adiponectin; D015415:Biomarkers; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D020738:Leptin