title: Expression of Hepcidin and Ferroportin in the Placenta, and Ferritin and Transferrin Receptor 1 Levels in Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood in Pregnant Women with and without Gestational Diabetes.
abstract: Regulation of iron transfer from mother to fetus via the placenta is not fully understood and the relationship between stored iron status in the mothers' serum and gestational diabetes (GDM) in case-control studies is controversial. The present study aimed to detect circulating soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) and ferritin levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood. We also examined the expression of hepcidin (Hep), transferrin receptor (TfR1), and ferroportin (FPN) in the placenta in pregnant women with and without GDM at full term.
  
  
  
  Eighty-two women participated (42 with GDM and 40 without GDM [controls]). Maternal samples were collected at 37-39 weeks' gestation. Umbilical cord blood was collected at birth. Ferritin and sTfR levels in maternal serum and umbilical cord blood, and Hep, TfR1, and FPN protein expression in plac enta were compared between the GDM and non-GDM groups. Serum ferritin (SF) was measured by electrochemiluminescence assay and sTfR was measured by ELISA. Hep, TfR1, and FPN expression was measured by immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  
  Maternal serum sTfR levels were significantly elevated in the GDM group compared with the non-GDM group (p = 0.003). SF levels in cord blood in the GDM group were significantly higher than those in the non-GDM group (p = 0.003). However, maternal hemoglobin and SF, and umbilical cord sTfR levels were not different between the groups. In placental tissue, FPN expression was higher and hepcidin expression was lower in the GDM group compared with the non-GDM group (p = 0.000 and p = 0.044, respectively). There was no significant difference in TfR1 between the groups (p = 0.898).
  
  
  
  Women with GDM transport iron more actively than those without GDM at term pregnancy. Maternal iron metabolism in GDM may play a role in fetal/placental iron demand and in the overall outcome of pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. yaq1234@126.com.
authors.forename: Anqiang
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. chalange@163.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. mhlu2005@sina.com.
authors.forename: Minhua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. 18914137366@189.cn.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. sequoia113847@163.com.
authors.forename: Yunlong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Clinical Laboratory, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. chendaozhen@163.com.
authors.forename: Daozhen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. fjy757712@126.com.|Department of Obstetrics, Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214002, China. fjy757712@126.com.
authors.forename: Jinyan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005865:Gestational Age; D064451:Hepcidins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000502:physiology; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000098742:Ferroportin
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; C068126:CD71 antigen; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D064451:Hepcidins; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D000098742:Ferroportin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron
keywords: ferritin; ferroportin; gestational diabetes; placenta; transferrin receptor 1