Placental Expression of Glucose Transporter Proteins in Pregnancies Complicated by Gestational and Pregestational Diabetes Mellitus

Publication date: April 2018Source: Canadian Journal of Diabetes, Volume 42, Issue 2Author(s): Paweł Jan Stanirowski, Dariusz Szukiewicz, Monika Pazura-Turowska, Włodzimierz Sawicki, Krzysztof CendrowskiAbstractGestational diabetes mellitus and pregestational diabetes mellitus constitute carbohydrate metabolism disorders, which, if not diagnosed and adequately treated, lead to serious and often life-threatening pregnancy complications. According to a recently formulated hypothesis, some diabetes-related complications, such as fetal macrosomia, may be the result of disturbances in the transplacental transport of nutrients—in particular, excessive maternal-fetal glucose transfer. Throughout pregnancy, glucose flux across the placenta is mediated by the group of facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT), the expression of which in different placental compartments is the precondition for effective glucose uptake from maternal blood and its subsequent transfer to the fetal circulation. In diabetes-complicated pregnancies, the location, expression and activity of glucose transporters are modified to an extent that results in alterations in the maternal-fetal glucose exchange, potentially leading to an excessive supply of energy substrates to the fetus. This paper reviews the literature on the expression and activity of glucose transporter proteins—GLUT-1, GLUT-3, GLUT-4, GLUT-8, GLUT-9 and GLUT-12—in the human placenta, with a special focus on diabetes-complicated pregnancy....
Source: Canadian Journal of Diabetes - Category: Endocrinology Source Type: research