New approaches in the diagnosis and prognosis of gestational diabetes mellitus

Z.-J. Gu, Q.-J. Song, W.-Q. Gu, G.-P. Zhang, Y. Su, Y. Tang, M.-F. Wang, Y. Guo, W.-M. Wu, J. Chen

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Taicang TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Taicang, China. fsyy00946@njucm.edu.cn

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• Diabetes
• Obstetrics

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common pregnancy metabolic disorder in which a person with no history of hyperglycemia exhibits any degree of impaired glucose tolerance during gestation. GDM can be resolved on its own after birth, but mothers with GDM are more at risk for future problems, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. In addition, GDM can cause macrosomia in infants and obesity or even the risk of diabetes in childhood. Standard diagnostic tests for GDM are the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and glucose challenge test (GCT), which is a mandatory test at 28-28 weeks of pregnancy in most countries. Disorders in various molecular mechanisms, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) signaling pathways are involved in GDM. Therefore, a better understanding of these mechanisms can help find new therapeutic and diagnostic strategies accordingly. In this review, we first deal with molecular mechanisms involved in GDM occurrence and then summarized the studies that hired this knowledge for early diagnosis and prognosis of GDM. Finally, we present the latest achievements in the diagnosis of GDM based on exosomes, microRNAs, glycosylated hemoglobin, and inflammatory factors detection in maternal circulation.

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