Evaluation of serotonin levels in full-term newborns of diabetic mothers

BACKGROUND: The growth of neurological and mental diseases in the offspring of patients with pre- and gestational diabetes mellitus determines the need to study the regulatory function of the serotoninergic system of the brain in newborns. This plays a key role in its morphofunctional development in early ontogenesis, which is necessary for timely diagnosis of disorders and prevention of long-term consequences. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate serotonin levels in full-term newborns with diabetic fetopathy from mothers with pre- and gestational diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The main group consisted of 45 newborns with diabetic fetopathy, of whom 30 individuals were from mothers with type 1 diabetes mellitus and 15 ones from mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus. The control group comprised 20 healthy full-term newborns from healthy mothers without pregnancy complications. Serotonin concentrations were determined in platelet-rich plasma of blood from the umbilical cord vein, and in a platelet suspension prepared from venous blood taken on the first day of life, using high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. RESULTS: Platelet-rich plasma serotonin level in umbilical cord blood taken from newborns of the main group was more than two times lower compared to children of healthy mothers. This parameter in venous blood taken from mothers with type 1 diabetes (0.744 ± 0.117 µmol/l) corresponded to that in healthy patients, while in mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus, it was significantly lower and amounted to 0.331 ± 0.071 µmol/l (p 0.05). Moreover, platelet-rich plasma serotonin level in all newborns correlated with that in their mothers (R = 0.505; p 0.05). Serotonin levels in venous blood platelets of newborns of the main group was almost 2.5 times lower than in healthy ones. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained indicate the need to use platelet serotonin values as a biochemical marker of disorders of functional brain development in children with diabetic fetopathy.