Cell-signaling pathway has key role in development of gestational diabetes

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have identified a cell-signaling pathway that plays a key role in increasing insulin secretion during pregnancy and, when blocked, leads to the development of gestational diabetes. During pregnancy, pancreatic beta cells should expand and produce more insulin to adapt to the needs of the growing baby, explained senior investigator Adolfo Garcia-Ocana, associate professor of medicine, Pitt School of Medicine. Newborns can suffer complications if the mother's blood glucose is abnormally high during pregnancy, a condition known as gestational diabetes. "Not much was known about the maternal mechanisms that lead to increased beta cell number and function during pregnancy," Garcia-Ocana said. "But research has shown that high blood glucose in pregnancy can have long-term health consequences for the child, as well as a greater risk of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol for the mother."