Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study

Aim Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined as any glucose intolerance that begins during pregnancy, and it is one of the most common metabolic disorders complicating pregnancies, affecting approximately 10–14% of all pregnancies. Maternal carbohydrate metabolism changes during pregnancy to ensure...

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Main Authors: Akin Usta, Ceyda Sancakli Usta, Duygu Lafci, Cevahir Tekcan, Gülay Turan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14767058.2025.2534505
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author Akin Usta
Ceyda Sancakli Usta
Duygu Lafci
Cevahir Tekcan
Gülay Turan
author_facet Akin Usta
Ceyda Sancakli Usta
Duygu Lafci
Cevahir Tekcan
Gülay Turan
author_sort Akin Usta
collection DOAJ
description Aim Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined as any glucose intolerance that begins during pregnancy, and it is one of the most common metabolic disorders complicating pregnancies, affecting approximately 10–14% of all pregnancies. Maternal carbohydrate metabolism changes during pregnancy to ensure adequate nutrition for the fetus, with the human umbilical vein and the placenta being important regulators of this physiological state. This study aimed to evaluate fractalkine (FKN) immunoreactivity in GDM pregnancies and its association with maternal/fetal health outcomes.Methods In this case-control study, a total of 89 pregnant women (44 GDM and 45 non-GDM) underwent a 50 g glucose loading test (GCT) between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. GCT cutoff value was chosen as <140 mg/dl. Women with high GCT values underwent rapid diagnostic testing with a 3-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT). Placenta samples were obtained after cesarean section. Immunohistochemistry for FKN was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections. Finally, the relationship between FKN expression and clinical manifestations of GDM was evaluated.Results FKN expression was significantly different between pregnant women with and without GDM. Specifically, FKN expression was increased in the capillary endothelium (p < 0.0001) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) (p = 0.0011) in pregnant women with GDM compared to those without GDM. Furthermore, FKN expression in HUVECs was found to be associated with fetal macrosomia (p = 0.0099) and neonatal hypoglycemia (p = 0.0291). Additionally, FKN expression in the capillary endothelium was found to be associated with preeclampsia (p = 0.0250). Regarding the pathological changes of the placenta with FKN expression, significant correlations were identified with both capillary endothelial FKN expression and HUVEC FKN expression.Conclusions The observed differences suggest a potential association between the immunohistochemical expression of FKN and the presence of GDM, placental changes, and adverse outcomes of pregnancy.
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series The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
spelling doaj-art-b09d7ea910d0451f8eeb01567c8bbbd12025-08-20T03:25:07ZengTaylor & Francis GroupThe Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine1476-70581476-49542025-12-0138110.1080/14767058.2025.2534505Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control studyAkin Usta0Ceyda Sancakli Usta1Duygu Lafci2Cevahir Tekcan3Gülay Turan4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balıkesir, TurkeyDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balıkesir, TurkeyDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balıkesir, TurkeyClinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Private Clinic, Istanbul, TurkeyDepartment of Pathology, School of Medicine, Balikesir University, Balıkesir, TurkeyAim Gestational diabetes mellitus is defined as any glucose intolerance that begins during pregnancy, and it is one of the most common metabolic disorders complicating pregnancies, affecting approximately 10–14% of all pregnancies. Maternal carbohydrate metabolism changes during pregnancy to ensure adequate nutrition for the fetus, with the human umbilical vein and the placenta being important regulators of this physiological state. This study aimed to evaluate fractalkine (FKN) immunoreactivity in GDM pregnancies and its association with maternal/fetal health outcomes.Methods In this case-control study, a total of 89 pregnant women (44 GDM and 45 non-GDM) underwent a 50 g glucose loading test (GCT) between 24 and 28 weeks of gestation. GCT cutoff value was chosen as <140 mg/dl. Women with high GCT values underwent rapid diagnostic testing with a 3-hour glucose tolerance test (GTT). Placenta samples were obtained after cesarean section. Immunohistochemistry for FKN was performed on formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections. Finally, the relationship between FKN expression and clinical manifestations of GDM was evaluated.Results FKN expression was significantly different between pregnant women with and without GDM. Specifically, FKN expression was increased in the capillary endothelium (p < 0.0001) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) (p = 0.0011) in pregnant women with GDM compared to those without GDM. Furthermore, FKN expression in HUVECs was found to be associated with fetal macrosomia (p = 0.0099) and neonatal hypoglycemia (p = 0.0291). Additionally, FKN expression in the capillary endothelium was found to be associated with preeclampsia (p = 0.0250). Regarding the pathological changes of the placenta with FKN expression, significant correlations were identified with both capillary endothelial FKN expression and HUVEC FKN expression.Conclusions The observed differences suggest a potential association between the immunohistochemical expression of FKN and the presence of GDM, placental changes, and adverse outcomes of pregnancy.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14767058.2025.2534505Fractalkinehuman umbilical vein endothelial cellsgestational diabetes mellitusplacental histologycapillary endothelium
spellingShingle Akin Usta
Ceyda Sancakli Usta
Duygu Lafci
Cevahir Tekcan
Gülay Turan
Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine
Fractalkine
human umbilical vein endothelial cells
gestational diabetes mellitus
placental histology
capillary endothelium
title Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
title_full Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
title_fullStr Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
title_full_unstemmed Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
title_short Increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and HUVECs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case-control study
title_sort increased fractalkine expression in placental tissue and huvecs from pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus and its correlation with clinicopathological variables in a case control study
topic Fractalkine
human umbilical vein endothelial cells
gestational diabetes mellitus
placental histology
capillary endothelium
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/14767058.2025.2534505
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