Comparison of ghrelin, obestatin, preptin levels in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), is any degree of glucose intolerance firstly diagnosed during pregnancy.In this study, we aimed to define the serum levels of acyl ghrelin, desacyl ghrelin, obestatin and preptin; that are known to have a role in carbohydrate matabolism; and their relation with each other as well as their role in the pathophysiology of GDM in pregnant women with GDM and healthy ones during pregnancy and the postpartum period.Twenty pregnant women with GDM and 20 healhty ones were enrolled to the study. Venous blood samples were obtained from all the participants at 24-28 weeks of gestation and after the first 24 hours postpartum. The analysis were assessed by ELİSA.In this study, the serum levels of desacyl ghrelin (p=0.013) were found to be statistically significant lower in GDM group during pregnancy. There was no statistically significant difference in the serum levels of acyl ghrelin, obestatin and preptin levels between the GDM group and controls. The serum levels of acyl ghrelin (p=0.0001), desacyl ghrelin (p=0.0001), obestatin (p=0.006) and preptin (p=0.0001) were found to be statistically significant higher in both groups during the postpartum period when compared with the gestation period. There was a positive correlation between deacyl ghrelin and acyl ghrelin (p=0.008), desacyl ghrelin and preptin (p=0.0012) and preptin and insulin (p=0.039) in GDM group in the gestation period.As a result; all the three hormones seems to have a role in the pathophsiology of the GDM as all three exhibit a statistically significant increase during pregnancy than the pospartum period in both the known insulin resistant GDM group and healthy pregnant group. But desacyl ghrelin which exhibits a statistically significant decrease during pregnancy but an increase in the pospartum period in the GDM group may have a more important role in the pathophsiology of the GDM.Key words: Gestational diabetes mellitus, ghrelin, obestatin, preptin