Association between growth differentiation factor 15 levels and gestational diabetes mellitus: A combined analysis

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Jan 20:14:1084896. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1084896. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Objective: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common glucose metabolism disease occurs in pregnancy that affects both maternal and neonatal health. Recently, increasing studies have attached importance to the relationship between growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) and GDM, but the results were inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the association between GDF-15 and GDM.

Materials and methods: A systematical search was performed in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), PubMed and Google Scholar till Oct 27, 2022. We first calculated the mean and standard deviation of GDF-15 expression levels from the included eligible datasets and articles. Then, a meta-analysis was conducted to depict the difference in GDF-15 mRNA or GDF-15 protein expression between case and control groups by using conservative random effect model. Moreover, the potential publication bias was checked with the aid of Begg's test and Egger's test. Finally, sensitivity analyses were performed by changing the inclusion criteria.

Results: In summary, 12 GEO datasets and 5 articles were enrolled in our study, including 789 GDM patients and 1202 non-GDM pregnant women. It was found that the expression levels of GDF-15 mRNA and GDF-15 protein in late pregnancy were significantly higher in GDM patients compared with non-GDM pregnant women, with the standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.48 (0.14, 0.83) and 0.82 (0.32-1.33), respectively. Meanwhile, a slightly weakened association between GDF-15 protein levels and GDM was also observed in the middle pregnancy, with SMD (95% CI) of 0.53 (0.04-1.02).

Conclusion: In all, our results suggested that the expression levels of GDF-15 were significantly higher in GDM patients compared with non-GDM pregnant women, especially in the late pregnancy.

Keywords: diabetes; gestational diabetes mellitus; growth differentiation factor 15; macrophage inhibiting cytokine-1; meta-analysis.

Publication types

  • Meta-Analysis
  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Diabetes, Gestational* / genetics
  • Female
  • Glucose
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15 / genetics
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics

Substances

  • Glucose
  • Growth Differentiation Factor 15
  • RNA, Messenger
  • GDF15 protein, human

Grants and funding

Q-PM is supported by the Healthcare Applied Basic Research Project of Science and Technology Bureau of Taicang (grant number: TC2021JCYL03), the 28th batch of Science and Technology Development plan (Medical and Health Technology Innovation) of Suzhou (grant number:SKYD2022061), and 2020 Science and the Technology Development Plan of Suzhou (Livelihood Science and Technology - Basic Research on Medical and Health Application, grant number:SYSD2020024). J-YY is currently receiving grant from the National Natural Science Fund of China (grant number: 82273635) and is supported by a Project Funded by Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD). For the remaining authors none were declared.