Sarcouncil Journal of Multidisciplinary

Abstract: Leptin is an adipokine that is mainly secreted by the adipose tissue, which is vital in the metabolism and vascular regulation during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and preeclampsia (PE) are two of the most common pregnancy complications linked to dysregulation of leptin, which has been associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes. This was a cross-sectional study that was conducted to determine the maternal levels of leptin in both NP, GDM, and PE cohorts, to establish the existing relationships with body mass index (BMI), blood glucose metabolism, and blood pressure. Gestational age was matched to stratify the participants into normal pregnancy (n=36), GDM (n=36), and PE (n=36). Analysis of the frequency of hyperleptinemia, trimester-specific differences, and their correlation with the BMI (Pearson r), glucose metabolism (GDM subgroup), and BP (PE subgroup) were performed. Multivariate regression was used to determine the independent predictors of hyperleptinemia. The levels of leptins were also high in GDM (mean ± SD: 18.2 ± 4.1 ng/mL) and PE (22.6 ± 5.3 ng/mL) compared to NP (12.1 ± 3.2 ng/mL). In PE, the prevalence of hyperleptinemia was most significant (63.9 vs. 8.3 in NP). Leptin and BMI (r=0.72, p<0.001), fasting glucose in GDM (r=0.65, p<0.001), and systolic BP in PE (r=0.58, p<0.001) had strong positive correlations with each other. The multivariate analysis proved that BMI, glucose dysregulation, and hypertension could predict hyperleptinemia (OR: 3.2, 2.8, and 2.5, respectively; p<0.01). This paper is establishing significantly high levels of leptin in GDM and PE, and hyperleptinemia is especially common in PE. The strong correlations with BMI, glucose metabolism, and BP indicate the possibility of leptin involvement in the pathophysiology of these diseases.