ABSTRACT
Adiponectin is anovel adipose tissue specific protein abundantly expressed in human and rodent fat and secreted from differentiated adipocytes. Circulating levels of adiponectin are inversely related to the degree of adiposity, and are positively associated with insulin seneitivity in both healthy subjects and diabetic patients. Diabetic insult at later stages in gestation, such may occur in gestational diabetes, will foremost lead to short term changes in avarity of molecules for key functions including gene expression in the placenta. The aim of this study was to assess the expression of adiponectin receptors in human placenta, identify the sites of expression and clarify the effect of gestational diabetes in this expression. Our study was carried on 30 pregnant women designed as follow; controls group: included 10 normoglycemic pregnant women and had not any pregnancy disorders. Patientsgroup: included 20 gestational diabetic who had the gestational diabetes as the only pregnancy disorder. The placental tissue was collected immediately after delivery and tissue biopsies were taken from both fetal and maternal sides of each placenta. Our results showed that both types of adiponectine receptors [ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2] are expressed in human placenta. ADIPOR1 is more highly expressed than ADIPOR2 in both fetal and maternal sides of gestational diabetes mellitus [GDM] cases and normal pregnant women. ADIPOR1 mRNA expression was significantly upregulated in GDM women compared to normal pregnant women, whereas no significant difference in the expression of ADIPOR2 was detected between the two groups. The results showed also that there is no evidence of maternal fetal side difference in the expression of adiponectin receptors in GDM cases but in normal pregnant women we found that there is statistically significant difference between maternal and fetal sides in the expression of both ADIPORl and ADIPOR