Pregnancy-associated Steroid Effects on Insulin Sensitivity, Adipogenesis, and Lipogenesis: Role of Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway.

Context: The shift in maternal energy metabolism characteristic of pregnancy is thought to be driven by various hormonal changes, especially of ovarian and placental steroids. Imbalances in circulating estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) levels during this period are often associated with metabolic disturbances leading to the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Since abnormalities in the Wnt pathway effector transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) are commonly associated with the occurrence of GDM, we hypothesized that the canonical or β-catenin-dependent Wnt signaling pathway mediates the metabolic actions of E and P.