Molecular mechanism of impaired glucose tolerance in gestational diabetes mellitus

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K18643
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56040:Obstetrics and gynecology-related
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Watanabe Mayu 岡山大学, 医歯薬学域, 助教 (20794332)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 妊娠糖尿病

Outline of Final Research Achievements

①We examined changes in insulin secretion capacity from pregnancy to postpartum in pregnant women with impaired glucose tolerance and found similar changes in insulin secretion capacity in both gestational diabetes and pregnant women complicated with type 2 diabetes(T2DM pregnant women), suggesting that low insulin secretion in the third trimester of pregnancy in T2DM pregnant women may worsen postpartum. The results suggest that T2DM pregnant women may have worse glycemic control postpartum if insulin secretion is low in the third trimester of pregnancy.
②Gal-9 knockout C57B/5J mice (female) were bred on a high-fat, high-sucrose diet or normal diet, mated with wild-type C57B/5J mice (male), glucose tolerance test was performed at 14 days gestation, and placenta and fetuses were obtained at 18 days. Gal-9 immunostaining and Western blotting of placentas and measurement of blood levels of Gal-9 were performed.

Free Research Field

内分泌代謝内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

Galectin-9 (gal-9) はT cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) のリガンドとして活性化Th1細胞をアポトーシスへ誘導し、1型糖尿病、糖尿病性腎症、糸球体腎炎への治療効果が証明されている。本研究では、妊娠糖尿病 (gestational diabetes mellitus: GDM) 妊婦とGDMモデルマウスにおいてgal-9とGDM発症との関連を検討する。現在、耐糖能正常妊婦、GDM妊婦、糖尿病合併妊婦の研究対象者の登録、検体の採取・解析を進めている。また、GDMモデルマウスの各種臓器におけるgal-9の発現検討を行っている。