Table 1.
Characteristics and findings of studies comparing maternal circulating concentrations of adipokines between GDM patients and controls.
| Authors (Year) | Study Design | n | Gestational Age at Measurement | Adipokine Concentration in GDM | Secondary Findings and Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adiponectin | |||||
| Tagoma, et al. (2022) [12] | Cohort | 213 (60 GDM and 153 controls) | Weeks 23–28 | ↓ | Not reported |
| Al-Musharaf, et al. (2021) [13] | Cohort | 232 (99 GDM and 133 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: weeks 24–28 |
↔ ↔ |
Visit 1: −Systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol Visit 2: +HOMA-β It is not specified whether the correlations are considering only the GDM group or the study sample in general. |
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | Not reported |
| Atarod, et al. (2020) [15] | Case-control | 37 GDM and 37 controls matched for maternal age and BMI | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | In GDM: −Impaired blood glucose |
| Wang, et al. (2020) [16] | Case-control | 71 GDM and 66 controls | Weeks 23–28 | ↓ | In GDM: −Fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. |
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↓ ↓ ↓ ↔ |
Concentrations at visits 1 and 2: −GDM risk Concentrations at visit 1: −HOMA-IR, glucose, insulin, C-peptide at visit 1 −Triglycerides at visit 2. +HDL-cholesterol at visit 2 |
| Yuan, et al. (2018) [18] | Cohort | 359 (86 GDM and 273 controls) | Weeks 16–18 | ↓ | Serum adiponectin levels were a significant predictor of GDM. |
| Mierzyński, et al. (2018) [19] | Case-control | 105 GDM and 55 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | In all participants: +Omentin −BMI prior to pregnancy, at the time of blood sampling and at the end of pregnancy. |
| Sweeting, et al. (2018) [20] | Cohort | 980 (248 GDM and 732 controls) | Weeks 11–13 | ↓ | Statistical difference was maintained regardless of ethnicity. |
| Thagaard, et al. (2017) [21] | Cohort | 2590 (107 GDM and 2483 without GDM) classified as normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24.9), moderately obese (30 ≤ BMI ≤ 34.9) and severely obese (BMI ≥ 35). | Weeks 6–14 | ↓ | Adiponectin concentrations were lower in GDM in all BMI groups, although the difference was more pronounced in women with BMI < 35. |
| Guelfi, et al. (2017) [22] | Cohort | 123 (52 GDM and 71 controls) | Visit 1: week 14 Visit 2: week 28 (at the time of diagnosis) |
↓ ↓ |
All participants had a history of GDM in previous pregnancy. |
| Abell, et al. (2017) [23] | Cohort | 103 (25 GDM and 78 controls) | Weeks 12–15 | ↓ |
−Fasting glucose, GDM risk. High molecular weight adiponectin was measured. |
| Leptin | |||||
| Tagoma, et al. (2022) [12] | Cohort | 213 (60 GDM and 153 controls) | Weeks 23–28 | ↔ | In GDM women, overweight and obesity were associated with higher levels of leptin. |
| Al-Musharaf, et al. (2021) [13] | Cohort | 232 (99 GDM and 133 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: weeks 24–28 |
↔ ↔ |
Visit 1: +Systolic blood pressure, midarm circumference, insulin −Body fat percentage |
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | +Pre-pregnancy BMI considering both groups. |
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↑ ↑ ↑ ↔ |
Concentrations at visits 1 and 2: +GDM risk Concentrations at visit 1: +HOMA-IR, insulin, C-peptide, hsCRP at visit 2. |
| Sweeting, et al. (2018) [20] | Cohort | 980 (248 GDM and 732 controls) | Weeks 11–13 | ↓ | Concentrations are influenced by ethnicity. |
| Thagaard, et al. (2017) [21] | Cohort | 2590 (107 GDM and 2483 without GDM) classified as normal weight (18.5 ≤ BMI ≤ 24.9), moderately obese (30 ≤ BMI ≤ 34.9) and severely obese (BMI ≥ 35). | Weeks 6–14 | ↑ | Leptin concentrations were higher in GDM, but only in women with BMI ≥ 35. |
| Guelfi, et al. (2017) [22] | Cohort | 123 (52 GDM and 71 controls) | Visit 1: week 14 Visit 2: week 28 (at the time of diagnosis) |
↔ ↔ |
All participants had a history of GDM in previous pregnancy. |
| Zhang, et al. (2017) [24] | Case-control | 50 GDM and 50 controls | ≥37 weeks | ↑ | Not reported |
| Resistin | |||||
| Tagoma, et al. (2022) [12] | Cohort | 213 (60 GDM and 153 controls) | Weeks 23–28 | ↔ | In GDM women, premature bith was associated with higher levels of resistin. |
| Al-Musharaf, et al. (2021) [13] | Cohort | 232 (99 GDM and 133 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: weeks 24–28 |
↔ ↔ |
Visit 1: +Insulin −Body fat percentage |
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | Not reported |
| Guelfi, et al. (2017) [22] | Cohort | 123 (52 GDM and 71 controls) | Visit 1: week 14 Visit 2: week 28 (at the time of diagnosis) |
↔ ↔ |
All participants had a history of GDM in previous pregnancy. |
| TNF-α | |||||
| Peña-Cano, et al. (2021) [25] | Case-control | 116 GDM and 115 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | +BMI at the end of pregnancy considering both groups. |
| Al-Musharaf, et al. (2021) [13] | Cohort | 232 (99 GDM and 133 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: weeks 24–28 |
↔ ↔ |
Visit 1: −Maternal age Logistic regression adjusted for age and BMI showed that TNF-α levels significantly predict the development of GDM. Significance is lost when other maternal variables are added to the adjustment. |
| Yin X, et al. (2020) [26] | Case-control | 49 GDM and 39 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↑ | Not reported |
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↑ | +Newborn weight. With predictive value for large for gestational age newborn. +Pre-pregnancy BMI considering both groups. Difference was not maintained after adjustment for maternal age and weight. |
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↑ ↑ ↑ |
Not reported |
| IL-6 | |||||
| Peña-Cano, et al. (2021) [25] | Case-control | 116 GDM and 115 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | +Gestational weight gain considering both groups. |
| Al-Musharaf, et al. (2021) [13] | Cohort | 232 (99 GDM and 133 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: weeks 24–28 |
↔ ↔ |
−Cholesterol/HDL ratio |
| Abell, et al. (2017) [23] | Cohort | 103 (25 GDM and 78 controls) | Weeks 12–15 | ↔ | +BMI at the time of blood sampling +GDM risk |
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↔ ↔ ↔ |
Not reported |
| IL-8 | |||||
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↔ ↔ ↔ |
Not reported |
| IL-10 | |||||
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↑ ↔ ↔ |
Not reported |
| IFN-γ | |||||
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↔ ↔ ↔ |
Not reported |
| Adipsin | |||||
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↑ | +Pre-pregnancy BMI considering both groups. The difference was not maintained after adjustment for maternal age and weight. |
| NGAL | |||||
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | Not reported |
| Yin, et al. (2020) [26] | Case-control | 49 GDM and 39 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↑ | In all participants: + Fasting plasma glucose in the second and third trimester, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, triglycerides and neonatal weight. |
| Sweeting, et al. (2018) [20] | Cohort | 980 (248 GDM and 732 controls) | Weeks 11–13 | ↑ | Multivariate regression analysis showed its value as a significant predictor of GDM. Concentrations are influenced by ethnicity. |
| NGF | |||||
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↔ | Not reported |
| MCP-1 | |||||
| Saucedo, et al. (2020) [14] | Case-control | 65 GDM and 65 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↑ | +Newborn weight. +Pre-pregnancy BMI considering both groups. Difference was not maintained after adjustment for maternal age and weight. |
| Abell, et al. (2017) [23] | Cohort | 103 (25 GDM and 78 controls) | Weeks 12–15 | ↔ | Not reported |
| Omentin-1 | |||||
| Peña-Cano, et al. (2021) [25] | Case-control | 116 GDM and 115 controls | At the end of pregnancy | ↓ |
−Pre-pregnancy BMI, BMI at the end of pregnancy and HOMA-IR considering both groups. +HDL considering both groups. The difference was not maintained after adjustment for maternal age, gestational age and BMI. |
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ |
Concentrations at visit 1: −HOMA-IR, insulin, C-peptide and triglycerides at visit 2. |
| Mierzyński, et al. (2018) [19] | Case-control | 105 GDM and 55 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | In all participants: +Adiponectin. −BMI prior to pregnancy, at the time of blood sampling and at the end of pregnancy. −Risk of preterm birth |
| Abell, et al. (2017) [23] | Cohort | 103 (25 GDM and 78 controls) | Weeks 12–15 | ↓ |
−GDM risk |
| FABP4 | |||||
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ |
Concentrations at visits 1 and 2: +GDM risk Concentrations at visit 1: +Glucose, insulin, C-peptide and hsCRP at visit 2. −HDL-cholesterol at visit 2 |
| Guelfi, et al. (2017) [22] | Cohort | 123 (52 GDM and 71 controls) | Visit 1: week 14 Visit 2: week 28 (at the time of diagnosis) |
↔ ↔ |
All participants had a history of GDM in previous pregnancy. |
| Chemerin | |||||
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ |
Concentrations at visits 1 and 2: +GDM risk. Concentrations at visit 1: +hsCRP, triglycerides at visit 2. |
| Guelfi, et al. (2017) [22] | Cohort | 123 (52 GDM and 71 controls) | Visit 1: week 14 Visit 2: week 28 (at the time of diagnosis) |
↔ ↔ |
All participants had a history of GDM in previous pregnancy. |
| Yang, et al. (2017) [28] | Cohort | 163 (19 GDM and 144 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 8–12 Visit 2: at around week 31 |
↓ ↑ |
A positive association between the risk of GDM and first trimester chemerin levels is reported; however, it does not make sense, as the association should be negative. |
| sOB-R | |||||
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ |
Concentrations at visits 1 and 2: −GDM risk. Concentrations at visit 1: −HOMA-IR, glucose, insulin, C-peptide and hsCRP at visit 2. +HDLD at visit 2. |
| Vaspin | |||||
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
↔ ↔ ↔ ↓ |
No relevant correlations. |
| Mierzyński, et al. (2019) [29] | Case-control | 153 GDM and 84 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | In all participants: −Nesfatin-1 levels, BMI prior to pregnancy, BMI at sampling, fasting blood glucose, 1 h and 2 h post-OGTT glucose levels. |
| RBP-4 | |||||
| Francis, et al. (2020) [17] | Cohort | 321 (107 GDM and 214 controls) | Visit 1: weeks 10–14 Visit 2: weeks 15–26 Visit 3: weeks 23–31 Visit 4: weeks 33–39 |
Data not shown | Concentrations at visit 1: +LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides at visit 2. The authors did not report RBP-4 concentrations for each visit. |
| Visfatin | |||||
| Abell, et al. (2017) [23] | Cohort | 103 (25 GDM and 78 controls) | Weeks 12–15 | ↔ | Not reported |
| PAI-1 | |||||
| Tagoma, et al. (2022) [12] | Cohort | 213 (60 GDM and 153 controls) | Weeks 23–28 | ↔ | No relevant correlations. |
| ANGPTL8 | |||||
| Seyhanli, et al. (2021) [30] | Case-control | 45 GDM and 45 controls | Weeks 18–39 | ↑ | +Fasting plasma glucose, fasting plasma insulin, 1 h and 2 h post-load plasma glucose, HOMA-IR, and triglycerides. |
| Abdeltawab, et al. (2021) [31] | Case-control | 109 GDM and 103 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↑ | +Fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, LDL-cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglycerides, 1 h and 2 h postprandial blood glucose levels. Multivariate logistic regression showed its value as a significant predictor of GDM. |
| Gülcü Bulmuş, et al. (2020) [32] | Case-control | 30 GDM and 30 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↑ | +Insulin, C-peptide, and HOMA-IR. |
| Huang, et al. (2018) [33] | Cohort | 474 (88 GDM and 386 controls) | Weeks 12–16 | ↑ | Using multivariable logistic regression, ANGPTL8 levels were related to risk of GDM. |
| Nesfatin-1 | |||||
| Çaltekin, and Caniklioğlu (2021) [34] | Case-control | 44 GDM and 40 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | No significant correlations. |
| Mierzyński, et al. (2019) [29] | Case-control | 153 GDM and 84 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | In all participants: +BMI prior to pregnancy, BMI at sampling, fasting blood glucose, 1 h and 2 h post-OGTT glucose levels. |
| Ademoglu, et al. (2017) [35] | Case-control | 40 GDM and 30 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | +Gestational age |
| Zhang, et al. (2017) [24] | Case-control | 50 GDM and 50 controls | ≥37 weeks | ↑ | +BMI prior to pregnancy, BMI before delivery, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR and triglycerides. Serum nesfatin-1 was the only independent riskfactor for GDM after adjusting for the BMI before delivery and fasting insulin. |
| DLK1 | |||||
| Çaltekin, and Caniklioğlu (2021) [34] | Case-control | 44 GDM and 40 controls | Weeks 24–28 | ↓ | +Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR. |
| Fetuin A | |||||
| Jin, et al. (2020) [36] | Nested case-control | 135 GDM and 135 controls | Visit 1: 7–13 weeks Visit 2: 25–28 weeks |
↑ ↑ |
The change in fertuin A levels from the first to the second trimester was first found to be associated with the changes in insulin sensitivity and β-cell function, and associated with an increased risk of the development of GDM. |
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↔ ↔ ↔ |
+Uric acid, and CRP. −Creatinine, total bilirubin. |
| Fetuin B | |||||
| Šimják, et al. (2018) [27] | Cohort | 24 (12 GDM and 12 controls) | Visit 1: 28–32 weeks Visit 2: 36–38 weeks Visit 3: 6–12 months after delivery |
↔ ↔ ↔ |
+Triglycerides, and CRP. −Total bilirubin. |
| AFABP | |||||
| Zhang, et al. (2017) [24] | Case-control | 50 GDM and 50 controls | ≥37 weeks | ↑ | Not reported |
GDM, gestational diabetes mellitus; TNF-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha; IL-6, interleukin 6; IL-8, interleukin 8; IL-10, interleukin 10; IFN-γ, interferon-gamma; NGAL, neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin; NGF, nerve growth factor; MCP-1, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1; FABP4, fatty acid binding protein-4; sOB-R, soluble leptin receptor; RBP-4, retinol binding protein-4; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; ANGPTL8, angiopoietin-like protein 8; DLK1, delta like-1; AFABP, adipocyte fatty acid binding protein; HDL-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOMA-β, homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function; HOMA-IR, homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance; BMI, body mass index; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein; CRP, C-reactive protein; LDL-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; OGTT, oral glucose tolerance test. ↑, increased concentrations of the indicated adipokine in GDM compared to controls; ↓, decreased concentrations of the indicated adipokine in GDM compared to controls; ↔, similar concentrations of the indicated adipokine in GDM compared to controls; +, positive and independent correlation between the indicated adipokine and the specified parameter; −, negative and independent correlation between the indicated adipokine and the specified parameter.