Neonatal hypoglycemia remains a significant cause for morbidity in neonates, and specifically those born to mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Recent studies have demonstrated that adipose tissue secrets fatty acid binding proteins (FABPs) which may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of GDM. The effect of maternal high levels of FABP4 on the metabolism of the fetus and neonate have not been studied. Thus, the aim of the present study is to assess maternal and neonatal levels of FABP4 and to investigate a possible association to neonatal hypoglycemia.
We enrolled 20 GDM mothers and 20 controls, and measured FABP4 levels in maternal peripheral blood during delivery and neonatal cord blood. We found that in GDM mothers, serum FAPB4 levels were significantly higher than in controls (average of 16.5±5.2ng/ml Vs. 13.2±4.8 ng/ml respectively; p<0.05). FABP4 levels in neonatal cord blood were higher in comparison to the levels in the mother (18.1±8.0 ng/ml for cord blood and 14.6±5.0 ng/ml for maternal peripheral blood; p<0.05). A trend toward higher FAPB4 level was observed in neonates born to GDM mothers as compared to controls.
We demonstrated that FABP4 is a marker for unbalanced GDM at birth. Furthermore, we found that FAPB4 levels are higher in fetal blood in comparison to peripheral blood in both GDM mothers and controls. These promising results may suggest a possible role of FABP4 in neonatal hypoglycemia. Further studies lead to the use of FAPB4 as a biological marker or even a novel pharmaceutical target in the care of neonatal hypoglycemia.
