Effect of preeclampsia and preeclampsia severity on insulin, HOMA-IR, and betatrophin levels in non-diabetic pregnant women.

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of preeclampsia and its severity on insulin, the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and betatrophin levels in non-diabetic pregnant women.

Methods: Our study comprised 102 pregnant women who were divided into the following three groups: (1) control, (2) severe preeclampsia, and (3) mild preeclampsia. The women were screened with the single-stage 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), and the International Association of Diabetes and Pregnancy Study Groups (IADPSG) criteria were used for diagnosis. Those women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) mellitus or gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were excluded from the study.

Results: Maternal demographic characteristics were similar among the groups. Fasting plasma glucose and postprandial 2-h plasma glucose levels were significantly increased in the severe-preeclampsia group compared to that in the other groups. Fasting insulin levels were 14.3 ± 8.7uU/mL in the severe-preeclampsia group, 19.1 ± 6.0uU/mL in the mild-preeclampsia group, and 20.5 ± 12.5uU/mL in the control group and significantly lower in the severe-preeclampsia group than in the mild-preeclampsia and control groups. The serum betatrophin level was 7.8 ± 2.6 ng/mL in the severe-preeclampsia group, 6.1 ± 1.8 ng/mL in the mild-preeclampsia group, and 5.8 ± 1.3 ng/mL in the control group and significantly increased in the severe-preeclampsia group compared to other groups. HOMA-IR was similar among the groups. Maternal serum insulin levels were negatively (r = -0,255; P = 0.010) and serum betatrophin levels were positively (r = 0.368; P ≤ 0.001) correlated with preeclampsia severity.

Conclusion: Our results indicated that severe preeclampsia effect maternal serum glucose, insulin and betatrophin levels. Histhopatholical and immunohistochemical demostrations on pancreatic cells in new preeclampsia rat models will expand the information on the current situation.