Galanin is an important
neuropeptide which induces an increase in
obesity and appetite, improving
insulin sensitivity and
glucose tolerance in experimental animals. Although significantly higher levels of plasma
galanin are found in pregnant women with
gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), there is a limited understanding of its precise mechanism underlying this variation. In the present study, concentrations of circulating
galanin were determined at baseline in pregnant women with GDM and pregnant women with normal
glucose tolerance (NGT). Correlation analyses were performed between
galanin and pre-gestational
body weight, pre-gestational BMI, and
hormone involved in various homeostatic processes. Results showed that plasma
galanin level was significantly higher in the patients with GDM than in the NGT subjects (p<0.001). Plasma
galanin was positively correlated with pre-gestational
body weight (r=0.42, p=0.037), pre-gestational BMI (r=0.643, p=0.001), and fasting
blood glucose (r=0.840, p<0.001) in the GDM group. Moreover, a significant negative correlation was shown between
galanin and
sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (r=-0.901, p<0.001) in the GDM group. These data indicate that serum
galanin concentration increases markedly in pregnant women with GDM, and this increase seems to be related to the increase of pre-gestational BMI and significantly lower SHBG in patients with GDM. Thus, circulating
galanin is affected under conditions of altered pre-gestational BMI with highest levels in GDM patients. The increase of
galanin under conditions of GDM may indicate a physiological function to improve
glucose tolerance which is often impaired in GDM subjects.