Aortic Intima-Media Thickness is Increased in Neonates of Mothers with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: The Role of Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein as a Marker of Oxidative Stress

Background: Offspring exposed in foetal life to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at increased risk for future metabolic diseases.

Objective: To explore the prognostic role of abdominal aorta intima-media thickness (aIMT) in neonates exposed to GDM as a possible biomarker for later atherogenesis and its possible correlation with thioredoxin- interacting protein (TXNIP), a protein involved in oxidative stress.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study, mother-infant pairs were studied in 2 groups (57 patients with GDM and 51 controls without GDM). TXNIP levels were measured in the placenta, as well as in the umbilical and neonatal blood. The data were correlated with aIMT in neonates.

Results: aIMT was increased in GDM offspring (patients: median [range]=0.39 mm [0.31-0.46] vs controls: median=0.28 mm [0.23-0.33]; p=0.001) and remained significant after adjusting for possible confounders (e.g., triglycerides, blood pressure, vitamin D, birth weight and gender; β coefficient=0.131 p=0.049). TXNIP levels were increased in trophoblasts (p=0.001) and syncytiotrophoblasts (p=0.001) and were decreased in endothelial cells (p=0.022) in GDM offspring vs controls. Moreover, TXNIP levels in trophoblasts positively correlated with aIMT (r=0.369; p=0.001). TXNIP levels in umbilical/ neonatal blood were not associated with GDM.

Conclusion: Increased aIMT was demonstrated in the offspring of mothers with GDM. Non-invasive measurement of aIMT could be used as a biomarker to identify children at increased risk for atherogenesis later in life. This information may encourage early preventive measures. TXNIP may be associated with GDM and/or aIMT.