Abstract

BackgroundDiabetes in pregnant women is associated with an increased risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity and remains a significant medical challenge. Diabetes during pregnancy may be divided into clinical diabetes and gestational diabetes. Experimental models are developed with the purpose of enhancing understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of diseases that affect humans. With regard to diabetes in pregnancy, experimental findings from models will lead to the development of treatment strategies to maintain a normal metabolic intrauterine milieu, improving perinatal development by preventing fetal growth restriction or macrosomia. Based on animal models of diabetes during pregnancy previously reported in the medical literature, the present study aimed to compare the impact of streptozotocin-induced severe (glycemia >300 mg/dl) and mild diabetes (glycemia between 120 and 300 mg/dl) on glycemia and maternal reproductive and fetal outcomes of Wistar rats to evaluate whether the animal model reproduces the maternal and perinatal results of clinical and gestational diabetes in humans.MethodsOn day 5 of life, 96 female Wistar rats were assigned to three experimental groups: control (n = 16), severe (n = 50) and mild diabetes (n = 30). At day 90 of life, rats were mated. On day 21 of pregnancy, rats were killed and their uterine horns were exposed to count implantation and fetus numbers to determine pre- and post-implantation loss rates. The fetuses were classified according to their birth weight.ResultsSevere and mild diabetic dams showed different glycemic responses during pregnancy, impairing fetal glycemia and weight, confirming that maternal glycemia is directly associated with fetal development. Newborns from severe diabetic mothers presented growth restriction, but mild diabetic mothers were not associated with an increased rate of macrosomic fetuses.ConclusionExperimental models of severe diabetes during pregnancy reproduced maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnant women presenting uncontrolled clinical diabetes. On the other hand, the mild diabetes model caused mild hyperglycemia during pregnancy, although it was not enough to reproduce the increased rate of macrosomic fetuses seen in women with gestational diabetes.

Highlights

  • Diabetes in pregnant women is associated with an increased risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity and remains a significant medical challenge

  • Diabetes during pregnancy may be divided into clinical diabetes and gestational diabetes, defined as any glucose intolerance detected during pregnancy that has evolved from a diagnosis associated with the metabolic risk of type 2 diabetes to a clinical condition associated with higher risks for maternal and perinatal morbidity [2]

  • The present study aimed to compare the impact of STZ-induced severe and mild diabetes on glycemia and maternal reproductive and fetal outcomes of Wistar rats to evaluate whether the animal model reproduces the maternal and perinatal results of clinical and gestational diabetes in humans

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Diabetes in pregnant women is associated with an increased risk of maternal and neonatal morbidity and remains a significant medical challenge. With regard to diabetes in pregnancy, experimental findings from models will lead to the development of treatment strategies to maintain a normal metabolic intrauterine milieu, improving perinatal development by preventing fetal growth restriction or macrosomia. With regard to diabetes in pregnancy, experimental findings from models will lead to the development of treatment strategies to maintain the closest to normal metabolic intrauterine milieu, improving perinatal development by preventing fetal growth restriction or macrosomia. The uncontrolled human type 1 DM clinical status during pregnancy is reproduced by streptozotocin (STZ) administration (40 mg/kg) to rats during adult life using the venous route [4,5,6] In this experimental model, rats present with severe diabetes, with glycemia above 300 mg/dl, and the fetuses of dams are classified as small fetuses for gestational age, characterizing intrauterine growth restriction. Merzouk and colleagues [23,24,25] and Soulimane-Mokhtari and colleagues [30] verified that mildly hyperglycemic dams have fetuses that are large for gestational age, classified as macrosomic

Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call