High Serum DPP4 Level Might Cause Cognitive Decline in Perinatal Pregnant Women With GDM

Recent studies have shown that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can lead to cognitive dysfunction, which mostly manifests as impairments in various abilities such as memory and orientation. Zheng et al. demonstrated altered DPP4 activity could be a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction in T2DM. However, only a few studies have examined the presence of altered cognitive function in patients with GDM. Therefore, Dr En-You Li and his team conducted a study to assess a possible relationship between serum DPP4 and cognitive function in perinatal pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

In this case-control study, the researchers divided participants into divided into three groups: GDM group (n = 81), healthy pregnant (HP) group (n = 85), and control group (n = 51). They used the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to assess the cognitive status of each group. They collected a 3mL venous blood sample to measure blood lipids, glycated haemoglobin, and glucose levels. They further used ELISA to detect DPP4, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-iso-PGF2α), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in blood samples.

Key findings of the study:

• Upon analysis, the researchers found that the MoCA scores in the GDM and HP groups were significantly different from those in the control group in terms of visuospatial/executive function and attention; however, they noted that the scores were not significantly different between the GDM and HP groups.
• In terms of language, they found that the GDM group had significantly different scores from those in the other two groups.
• With regards to memory, they observed a significant difference between the HP and control groups, as well as between the GDM and HP groups.
• They found that the levels of DPP4, IL-6, and 8-iso-PGF2α in the GDM group were significantly higher than those in the HP and control groups; however, they noted the differences between these levels in the HP and control groups were not significant.
• They further noted that the level of BDNF in the GDM group was significantly lower than that in the HP and control groups, although the difference in this level between the HP and control groups was not significant.

The authors concluded, "Cognitive dysfunction in perinatal pregnant women with GDM mainly manifested as memory loss, which might be associated with elevated DPP4 levels."

For further information:

Sana SRGL, Li EY, Deng XJ, Guo L. Association between plasma dipeptidyl peptidase-4 levels and cognitive function in perinatal pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus. World J Clin Cases 2021; 9(33): 10161-10171 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i33.10161]