Abstract
Features of insulin binding to trophoblast plasma membranes were studied in six normal pregnant women (NP), six overt diabetes (ODP) and six poorly controlled glycemic gestational patients (PCDP) i.e. women who did not strictly follow the management of diabetes mellitus during pregnancy. A decreased maximum specific insulin receptor binding per 0.1 mg membrane protein in placenta from PCDP (12%) was found comparing with that from ODP or NP (17.5% and 36.2%, respectively, P<0.01), The insulin binding in PCDP declined at a faster rate until it reached minimum when studied at a higher temperature (25–37°C). The binding equilibrium was likewise attained faster at this temperature than that at lower temperature of 4°C for all studied groups.
The insulin receptor binding in all studied groups was pH dependent. The maximum binding in ODP and PCDP groups was attained at pH 7.8 while for NP maximum binding was at pH 7.4. The competitive dinding assay was carried out with 14 concentrations of unlabelled insulin and the half maximal displacement of125I-insulin was at 8×10−9 M, 6×10−9 M and 4×10−9 M for NP, ODP and PCDP, respectively (P<0.05) suggesting the differences in the effect of glycemic control on the insulin binding. Furthermore the binding yielded curvilinear Scatchard plots with the apparent affinity of the receptors being affected in the ODP and PCDP groups.
The molecular characteristics of the receptors in the diabetic patients as revealed by the cross-linking technique used in this study did not reveal any changes in the subunit structures when compared with normals except that the125I-insulin bound as shown by the band intensity was much less in PCDP. These findings indicate that control of hyperglycemia could optimize the outcome of insulin receptor function during diabetic pregnancy.
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Al-Attas, O.S., Al-Okail, M.S. Features of insulin receptor interaction in placenta from normal, overt and poorly controlled gestational diabetic patients. Mol Cell Biochem 126, 135–142 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00925691
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00925691