Placental Galectin-2 Expression in Gestational Diabetes: A Systematic, Histological Analysis.
Paula HeppLaura UnverdorbenStefan HutterChristina KuhnNina DitschEva GroßSven MahnerUdo JeschkeJulia KnablHelene H HeideggerPublished in: International journal of molecular sciences (2020)
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common pregnancy-associated metabolic disorder that negatively impacts on the health of both mothers and their offspring in the long-term. The molecular mechanisms involved are not fully understood. As in other states of insulin resistance, a disproportionate immune response in GDM leads to a state of chronic low-grade inflammation. Galectin-2 exerts regulatory effects on different immune cells. This study investigated galectin-2 expression in the placenta of 40 GDM patients and 40 controls, in a sex-specific manner. Immunohistochemistry was used for semi-quantitative analysis of expression strength. The phenotypes of galectin-2 expressing cells were characterized through double immunofluorescence. We found a significant up-regulation of galectin-2 in the fetal syncytiotrophoblast, as well as in the maternal decidua of GDM placentas. Double staining showed a strong galectin-2 expression in extra villous trophoblast cells and fetal endothelial cells in GDM. These findings present the first systematic investigation of galectin-2 in GDM. The findings contribute to the emerging understanding of the role of immunomodulation and inflammation in GDM and of galectin-2 itself. This might also have implications for the long-term cardiovascular health of the offspring.
Keyphrases
- poor prognosis
- low grade
- immune response
- insulin resistance
- induced apoptosis
- endothelial cells
- high fat diet
- high grade
- end stage renal disease
- public health
- healthcare
- cell cycle arrest
- binding protein
- type diabetes
- newly diagnosed
- pregnant women
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- long non coding rna
- transcription factor
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- toll like receptor
- dendritic cells
- cell proliferation
- health information
- high glucose
- atomic force microscopy
- cell death