The relationship between serum adipokine fibroblast growth factor‐21 and gestational diabetes mellitus

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.