Determination of urinary organic acid profile during gestational oral glucose tolerance test

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) is a general term for carbohydrate intolerance first recognized during pregnancy, characterized by hyperglycemia and diagnosed by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Urinary organic acid profile can provide insights about carbohydrate, fat and amino acid metabolisms. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the differences of urinary organic acid profile with gas chromatography mass spectrometry between non-pregnant and pregnant women as well as between healthy and diabetic pregnant women during OGTT. We found significant differences of urinary organic acid profile between non-pregnant and pregnant women. Baseline and last hour of OGTT urine analysis showed increased excretion of carbohydrate metabolism intermediates and 2-hydroxyisovaleric acid while decreased excretion of fatty acid metabolism intermediates. Increases in mentioned intermediates were higher in GDM subjects. In conclusion, pregnancy changes the metabolism, and healthy and GDM pregnancies differ in urinary organic acid profile. Future studies are needed for metabolic biomarkers in urine, serum and plasma for pregnancy and GDM.