Abstract
AIMS/INTRODUCTION: To explore the differences of serum fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) levels in pregnant women with normal glucose tolerance and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and to analyze the relationship between FGF-21 and glucose and lipid metabolic indicators, leptin, retinol binding protein 4 (RBP-4) and adiponectin in GDM, in order to provide basis for the prevention and treatment of GDM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total of 120 women were included, and divided into normal glucose tolerance group (58 cases) and GDM group (62 cases) according to the 75 g oral glucose tolerance test results. General information were recorded; height, weight and blood pressure, blood glucose, lipids, insulin, FGF-21, leptin, RMP-4, and adiponectin were measured, and body mass index (BMI), homeostasis model assessment-IR, homeostasis model assessment-β and area under glucose curve were calculated. The t-test, Pearson analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to evaluate the differences and related factors of FGF-21 in GDM. RESULTS: The pre-pregnancy BMI, pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy and FGF-21 levels were higher in GDM group, whereas there were no statistically significant differences in leptin, RBP-4 and adiponectin. Correlation analysis suggested that FGF-21 level was correlated with age, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, leptin, RBP-4 and adiponectin, and the results of multiple linear regression showed that serum FGF-21 was related to pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, leptin, RBP-4 and adiponectin in GDM. CONCLUSIONS: There were higher serum FGF-21 levels in GDM, which might be related to pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain during pregnancy, leptin, RBP-4 and adiponectin.