Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Gender Specific Prevention and Health Unit, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299, 00161, Rome, Italy.
Food Funct. 2021 Aug 21;12(16):7490-7500. doi: 10.1039/d1fo00267h. Epub 2021 Jul 2.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with immune metabolic changes that increase women's risk of developing metabolic disorders later in life. Nutritional intervention is a crucial component in reducing the burden of these pathological features. We examined whether protocatechuic acid (PCA), a major metabolite of anthocyanins abundant in plant food, is able to exert insulin-mimetic activity and modulate inflammation in the visceral adipose tissue (VAT) obtained at delivery, from pregnant women with GDM or normal glucose tolerance (NGT). PCA stimulated glucose uptake in the VAT from both GDM and NGT women. This capability was associated with increased phosphorylation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), as further demonstrated by the inhibitory effect of SB203580, a p38MAPK inhibitor, on PCA-induced glucose uptake. The GDM-VAT expressed lower adiponectin levels and PCA stimulated adiponectin release in the NGT-VAT and, albeit to a lower extent, in the GDM-VAT. Higher levels of IL6 and TNFα were secreted by the GDM-VAT compared with the NGT one, and PCA had no effects on them. PCA reduced the overexpression of vasoactive intestinal peptide receptor 2 (VPAC2) in the GDM-VAT. Further studies are needed to establish whether and how anthocyanins and food rich in these compounds may contribute to prevent or delay metabolic disorders in women with GDM.
妊娠期糖尿病（GDM）与免疫代谢变化有关，这些变化会增加女性日后发生代谢紊乱的风险。营养干预是减轻这些病理特征负担的关键组成部分。我们研究了原儿茶酸（PCA）是否能够发挥胰岛素样活性，并调节从 GDM 或正常糖耐量（NGT）孕妇分娩时获得的内脏脂肪组织（VAT）中的炎症。PCA 刺激了来自 GDM 和 NGT 女性的 VAT 中的葡萄糖摄取。这种能力与 p38 丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（p38MAPK）的磷酸化增加有关，p38MAPK 抑制剂 SB203580 对 PCA 诱导的葡萄糖摄取的抑制作用进一步证明了这一点。GDM-VAT 表达的脂联素水平较低，PCA 刺激 NGT-VAT 中的脂联素释放，尽管程度较低，但在 GDM-VAT 中也是如此。与 NGT-VAT 相比，GDM-VAT 分泌的 IL6 和 TNFα 水平更高，而 PCA 对它们没有影响。PCA 降低了 GDM-VAT 中血管活性肠肽受体 2（VPAC2）的过度表达。需要进一步研究以确定富含这些化合物的花青素和食物是否以及如何有助于预防或延迟 GDM 女性的代谢紊乱。
