ACTA ENDOCRINOLOGICA (BUC)

Objective. To characterize serum chemerin levels in obese patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Design. Case–control study. Subjects and Methods. Forty seven obese women with newly diagnosed GDM at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy and 32 age, body mass index- and gestational age-matched, normal pregnant women were included. Metabolic patterns and serum chemerin concentrations were measured. Results. Serum chemerin levels were significantly higher in subjects with GDM as compared to healthy pregnant controls (p < 0.05). Fasting insulin was similar between the two groups. HOMA-IR tended to be higher in GDM group but did not reach statistical significance. Women with GDM had significantly higher triglyceride (p < 0.01) and lower highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.001) than controls. In multiple linear regression analyses, chemerin was significantly associated with BMI (beta-coefficient = 0.274, p = 0.01), HbA1c (beta-coefficient = 0.327, p < 0.01), HDL-cholesterol (beta-coefficient = -0.307, p < 0.01), triglyceride (betacoefficient = 0.236, p < 0.05), insulin levels (beta-coefficient = 0.236, p < 0.05) and HOMA index (beta-coefficient = 0.283, p = 0.01). Conclusions. Maternal chemerin levels were significantly increased in GDM at 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. The physiological significance of elevated serum chemerin in GDM remains unclear.