Expression patterns of aquaporin 9 in umbilical cord and fetal membranes in women with pregestational and gestational diabetes

IF 1.5 4区医学 Q3 OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research Pub Date : 2025-07-27 DOI:10.1111/jog.70014

Selin Kenan, Nuray Bostancıeri, Demet Taşdemir Kahraman, Ali Ovayolu, Çiğdem Karaca

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim

Aquaporins (AQPs) play crucial roles in the fetal development process. We aimed to investigate the expression patterns of AQP-9 in the umbilical cord and fetal membranes in pregnancies complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and pregestational diabetes mellitus (PGDM) compared to normoglycemic pregnancies.

Methods

Samples of umbilical cord and fetal membranes were collected from women with GDM (n = 6), PGDM with nephropathy (White Class F) (n = 6). Histomorphologic evaluation was performed using hematoxylin–eosin staining. AQP-9 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR).

Results

Histologically, the GDM group showed increased umbilical cord diameter with edematous changes in Wharton's jelly, while the PGDM group exhibited decreased umbilical cord diameter. Immunohistochemical evaluation revealed significantly increased AQP-9 protein expression in vascular endothelium and amnion of both umbilical cord and fetal membranes in diabetic groups compared to controls, with the PGDM group showing the most intense immunoreactivity. qPCR demonstrated significantly decreased AQP-9 gene expression in umbilical cord of diabetic groups compared to controls (p = 0.026), while no significant differences in mRNA levels were found in fetal membranes between groups (p = 0.980).

Conclusion

AQP-9 exhibits significantly increased protein expression in both umbilical cord and fetal membranes of diabetic pregnancies, while mRNA levels are decreased only in the umbilical cord of diabetic patients with no changes in fetal membranes. This tissue-specific discrepancy between protein upregulation and gene expression suggests complex post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms in diabetes-affected pregnancies, providing novel insights into the molecular pathophysiology of maternal-fetal complications in diabetes.

Abstract Image

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妊娠期和妊娠期糖尿病患者脐带和胎膜中水通道蛋白9的表达模式

目的水通道蛋白（AQPs）在胎儿发育过程中起重要作用。我们的目的是研究AQP-9在妊娠合并妊娠糖尿病（GDM）和妊娠前糖尿病（PGDM）与正常妊娠中脐带和胎膜的表达模式。方法采集GDM （n = 6）、PGDM合并肾病（白色F类）（n = 6）患者的脐带和胎膜标本。采用苏木精-伊红染色进行组织形态学评价。采用免疫组织化学和实时荧光定量PCR （qPCR）分析AQP-9的表达。结果组织学上，GDM组表现为脐带直径增大，华氏果冻水肿改变，而PGDM组表现为脐带直径减小。免疫组化评价显示，糖尿病组脐带和胎膜血管内皮、羊膜AQP-9蛋白表达明显高于对照组，其中PGDM组表现出最强烈的免疫反应性。qPCR结果显示，与对照组相比，糖尿病组脐带AQP-9基因表达显著降低（p = 0.026），胎膜AQP-9基因表达差异无统计学意义（p = 0.980）。结论AQP-9蛋白在糖尿病妊娠的脐带和胎膜中表达均显著升高，而仅在糖尿病妊娠的脐带中表达降低，胎膜无变化。这种蛋白上调和基因表达之间的组织特异性差异表明，糖尿病影响妊娠中存在复杂的转录后调节机制，为糖尿病母胎并发症的分子病理生理学提供了新的见解。

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来源期刊

Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research 医学-妇产科学

CiteScore

3.10

自引率

0.00%

发文量

376

审稿时长

3-6 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research is the official Journal of the Asia and Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology and of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and aims to provide a medium for the publication of articles in the fields of obstetrics and gynecology. The Journal publishes original research articles, case reports, review articles and letters to the editor. The Journal will give publication priority to original research articles over case reports. Accepted papers become the exclusive licence of the Journal. Manuscripts are peer reviewed by at least two referees and/or Associate Editors expert in the field of the submitted paper.