The relationship of diabetes mellitus with the aquaporin 9 protein in umbilical cord and fetal membranes

Description

Aim Aquaporins (AQPs) have important tasks in the fetal development process. Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus (PGDM) have been associated with significant maternal and fetal complications. Aquaporin-9 (AQP-9) plays an important role in the development of these complications. We aimed to investigate the relationship between AQP-9 and diabetes in the umbilical cord (UC) and fetal membranes of infants born to mothers with diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods Hematoxylin-Eosin staining was used for histomorphologic evaluation of UC and fetal membranes; anti-AQP-9 antibody was used for immunohistochemistry. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) methods were used to quantitatively evaluate AQP-9 gene expression in tissues. The One-way Variance Analysis was used to compare the AQP-9 values by study groups. Results Histomorphologically, although there was an increase in the umbilical cord (UC) due to edema in the GDM group, there were no other histopathological changes in the PGDM group except for a decrease in cord diameter. In disease groups (GDM and PGDM), there were no abnormalities in the amnion and chorionic membrane structure. Immunohistochemical evaluation with anti-AQP-9 antibody revealed statistically significant differences between the groups in both UC and fetal membranes. In quantitative evaluation, the AQP-9 value in the UC Control group was higher than in the GDM and PGDM groups (p=0.026). There were no significant differences in fetal membranes (p=0.980). Conclusion AQP-9 levels are significantly affected by GDM and PGDM in UC and fetal membranes. The relationship between UC, fetal membranes, AQP-9, and GDM is complex and needs to be supported by further studies.

Categories

Funding

Licence