Table 1.
RBP4 and clinical parameters in patients with and without gestational diabetes mellitus
| Gestational diabetes (n=42) | No gestational diabetes (n=45) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EIA RBP4 (μg/ml) | 6.8 (3.9–14.3) | 11.3 (7.8–19.9) | <0.001 |
| Western blot RBP4 (μg/ml) | 25.1 (21.7–29.6)a | 26.6 (23.5–32.2) | 0.026 |
| Transthyretin (μg/ml) | 144.5 (126.2–191.3)a | 146.4 (127.5–200.6) | 0.228 |
| RBP4: transthyretinb | 0.40 (0.35–0.54)a | 0.41 (0.36–0.57) | 0.522 |
| Retinol (μmol/l) | 0.97 (0.76–1.10)a | 1.26 (0.88–1.64) | <0.001 |
| RBP4:retinolc | 1.29 (1.03–1.62) | 1.13 (0.73–1.50) | 0.044 |
| Age (years) | 33 (29–35) | 28 (24–34) | 0.020 |
| BMI before pregnancy (kg/m2) | 29 (25–34) | 23 (22–27) | <0.001 |
| BMI during pregnancy (kg/m2) | 34 (29–38) | 29 (25–31) | <0.001 |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 117 (111–127) | 112 (104–120) | 0.060 |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 73 (67–78) | 73 (66–78) | 0.889 |
| Fasting insulin (pmol/l) | 98 (73–137) | 89 (53–124) | 0.086 |
| 1 h Insulin (pmol/l) | 597 (430–848) | 715 (354–1168) | 0.746 |
| 2 h Insulin (pmol/l) | 810 (90.9–631) | 602 (354–1000) | 0.069 |
| HOMA-IR | 3.4 (2.2–4.5) | 2.0 (1.4–3.4) | <0.001 |
| Fasting glucose (mmol/l) | 5.4 (4.7–5.8) | 4.1 (3.7–4.3) | <0.001 |
| 1 h post-load glucose (mmol/l) | 12.0 (11.0–13.3) | 7.7 (6.6–8.9) | <0.001 |
| 2 h post-load glucose (mmol/l) | 9.7 (8.9–10.6) | 6.5 (5.6–7.2) | <0.001 |
| Triacylglycerol (mmol/l) | 2.2 (1.8–1.7) | 2.0 (1.5–1.2) | 0.289 |
| GFR (ml min−1 1.73 m−2) | 127 (121–150) | 145 (120–161) | 0.128 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.5 (5.3–5.8) | 5.2 (4.9–5.6) | <0.001 |
Data are presented as medians (interquartile range); all data were collected after an overnight fast at week 29 (median) in both participant groups.
Student’s t tests were applied to test for significant differences between groups after log-transformation of skewed variables
Only performed in 41 patients
Molar ratio, according to the amounts of RBP4 and transthyretin determined by western blotting, calculated using a molecular mass of 21 kDa for RBP4 and 54 kDa for transthyretin as a homotetramer (n=19)
Molar ratio, according to the amount of RBP4 determined by western blotting and the amount of retinol determined by HPLC, calculated using a molecular mass of 21 kDa for RBP4 and 0.286 kDa for retinol (n=19)