University of Szeged, Albert Szentgyörgyi Medical School, Faculty Research Grant,
Géza Hetényi Fund(Hetényi Géza pályázat: 5S 724 (A202))
BMYS(#8) Támogató: RECOOP
(University of Debrecen Program for Scientific Publication)
Contribution #219 of the Horváth Csaba Memorial Laboratory of Bioseparation Sciences(#219)
Szakterületek:
Egészséggel kapcsolatos biotechnológia
Klinikai orvostan
Orvos- és egészségtudomány
Orvosi biotechnológia
Tudomány
Introduction: Obesity is a rapidly growing common health problem worldwide that can
lead to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, GDM not only
affects women with obesity but can also develop at any time, even after the OGTT test;
therefore, an increasing number of complications related to GDM can be seen in both
mothers and their children. It is necessary to discover biomarkers capable of indicating
the development of GDM or complications during/after pregnancy. Since the N-glycosylation
motif of human IgG has been described to change under many physiological and pathological
conditions, it is a promising target for biomarker research. In our study, the effects
of obesity and GDM were investigated on human serum IgG N-linked glycosylation patterns
during human pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The study participants were categorized
into four groups according to their body mass index (BMI) and GDM status: normal weight
as control, obese (BMI > 30 kg/m2), normal weight with GDM, and obese with GDM. The
released N-glycan components of IgG were separated with capillary electrophoresis
and detected using a laser-induced fluorescence detector. Results: The result revealed
several differences between the N-glycosylation patterns of the four study groups.
Of this, 17 of the 20 identified structures differed significantly between the groups.
The ratios of sialylated to non-sialylated structures were not changed significantly,
but the core fucosylation level showed a significant decrease in the GDM and obese
GDM groups compared to the control subjects. The lowest degree of core fucosylation
was observed in the GDM group. Conclusions: The findings indicate that obesity in
isolation does not have a significant impact on the IgG N-glycosylation pattern in
pregnancy. Conversely, alterations in the N-glycan profile of antibodies may serve
as biomarkers for the diagnosis of GDM in mothers with a normal BMI, although more
evidence is needed. By incorporating glycan-based biomarkers into clinical practice,
healthcare providers can improve early detection, personalize management strategies,
and potentially mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with obesity and GDM.
Keywords:
capillary electrophoresis; gestational diabetes mellitus; human IgG N-glycome; maternal
obesity; molecular diagnostics
