Genes predisposing to neonatal diabetes mellitus and pathophysiology: Current findings

Network pharmacology-based elucidation of bioactive compounds and experimental exploration of antidiabetic mechanisms of Hydrolea zeylanica

This investigation systematically explored the underlying antidiabetic mechanism of Hydrolea zeylanica (HZH) by the approach of network pharmacology and experimental validation in restoring glucose homeostasis, and inflammation in high fat diet fed-streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced type II diabetes (T2DM) rats. Network pharmacology analysis was conducted on 32 bioactive components of HZH. In silico ADME prediction, and physicochemical analysis of 32 compounds were used to assess their drug-likeness. Common targets between selected compounds, and T2DM were subjected for GO enrichment. Compound-target-pathway network was predicted with selected compounds and targets. HZH (300 and 400 mg/kg) were considered for GLUTs expression, and inflammation cytokines in T2DM rats. Network pharmacology showed the core relationship between 13 selected compounds, and 194 key target genes in insulin resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, insulin signaling pathways in T2DM. AKT1, AKT2, GSK3B, IL6, INSR, MAPK8, PPARA, GLUT1, GLUT2, GLUT4 were observed as the key targets in PPI network. HZH-400 significantly restored glucose homeostasis, and inflammatory markers in T2DM rats. It altered GLUT2, GLUT4 expression in liver, and skeletal muscle to normal. Bioactive compounds of HZH were found to control blood sugar level by modulating insulin resistance, type II diabetes mellitus, insulin signaling pathways, and glucose homeostasis, which in turn improved glucose uptake, insulin production in diabetes as shown in network pharmacology and glucose transporter expression studies.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) Risk for Declared Family History of Diabetes, in Combination with BMI Categories

Whether categories of family history of diabetes can act as independent risk factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM-1, -2) has not yet been established, and neither has it been established how categories of body mass index (BMI) affect these relationships. A group of 912 women without chronic diseases, recruited in the first trimester, was investigated: 125 (13.7%) women developed GDM-1 (treated with diet); 21 (2.3%) women developed GDM-2 (treated with insulin); and a control group consisted of 766 non-diabetic women. A multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate adjusted odds ratios (AOR (95% confidence intervals)) of GDM-1 and GDM-2 for declared diabetes in the parents or grandparents (separately). These relationships were investigated in the whole cohort and subgroups of pre-pregnancy BMI. (1) Some categories of the family history were independent risk factors of GDM-1 or GDM-2. Compared to ‘absence of diabetes in the family’, women with diabetes in the father had a 3.68-fold increase in GDM-1 risk (AOR-b = 3.68 (2.23–6.07)), and women with diabetes in the mother had a 2.13-fold increase in GDM-1 risk (AOR-b = 2.13 (1.1–4.14)) and a 4.73-fold increase in GDM-2 risk (AOR-b = 4.73 (1.26–17.77)). Women with diabetes in the grandmother had a 2.34-fold increase in GDM-1 risk (AOR-b = 2.34 (1.29–4.24)). (2) The cumulative assessment of diabetes in the parents and/or grandparents was not related to the intensification of the risk of GDM, except for the increased risk of GDM-1 for diabetes in both mother and grandmothers simultaneously (AOR-b = 8.80 (1.16–66.57)), however, this group was very small. (3) The analyses in the subgroups of BMI categories showed that diabetes in the father was also an independent risk factor of GDM in the subgroup of pregnant women with normal BMI. In the subgroups of overweight and/or obesity, the risk of GDM for paternal and maternal diabetes was approximately twice as high as compared to the results of pregnant women with normal BMIs. Additionally, apart from the maternal influence of diabetes, the results suggest a significant influence of diabetes in the father on the risk of GDM, even (interestingly) in lean pregnant women.

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Harbinger of the Vicious Cycle of Diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), characterized by a transitory form of diabetes induced by insulin resistance and pancreatic β-cell dysfunction during pregnancy, has been identified as one of the major obstacles in achieving improved maternal and child health. Approximately 9-25% of pregnancies worldwide are impacted by the acute, long-term, and transgenerational health complications of this disease. Here, we discuss how GDM affects longstanding maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as health risks that likely persist into future generations. In addition to the current challenges in the management and diagnosis of and the complications associated with GDM, we discuss current preclinical models of GDM to better understand the underlying pathophysiology of the disease and the timely need to increase our scientific toolbox to identify strategies to prevent and treat GDM, thereby advancing clinical care.