Peripheral blood concentrations of adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific plasma protein, in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia

Abstract

Insulin resistance increases during the normal course of pregnancy, and is considered an important cause of complications including gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia (PE). Adiponectin, an adipocyte-specific plasma protein, is thought to enhance insulin sensitivity; another adipocytokine, leptin, also is thought to promote insulin sensitivity. We determined peripheral blood concentrations of adiponectin and leptin in 40 healthy nonpregnant women with a body mass index (BMI) <25, 40 healthy pregnant women with prepregnancy BMI <25, and 15 PE patients with prepregnancy BMI <25. Serum adiponectin concentrations were lower in the healthy pregnant group than in the nonpregnant group (9.40 ± 4.43 versus 13.15 ± 6.69 μg/mL, p < 0.01), but difference disappeared after correction for haematocrit. Serum leptin concentrations were high in the normal pregnant group after correction for haematocrit (10.08 ± 6.58 versus 6.24 ± 3.61 ng/mL, p < 0.05). Corrected after haematocrit, serum adiponectin in PE patients was higher than healthy pregnant women at 28 to 40 gestational weeks (17.46 ± 11.81 versus 9.33 ± 4.47 μg/mL, p < 0.01). Leptin in PE was higher than in the normal pregnant group (21.15 ± 19.89 versus 11.77 ± 6.25 ng/mL, p < 0.05), also after correction for haematocrit. These results suggested a metabolic shift in normal pregnant women and PE patients mediated through adipocytokines.