Objective: There is compelling evidence that insulin resistance may play a pivotal role in the development of pregnancy complications including pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). As dysregulation of visfatin and adiponectin is found in insulin resistance, both adipokines might contribute to pregnancy disorders.
Patients and methods: Plasma levels of visfatin and adiponectin were quantified in second-trimester pregnancies with abnormal uterine perfusion and in third-trimester pregnancies with IUGR as compared to healthy controls.
Results: Mean plasma adiponectin levels were significantly increased in women with pathological perfusion (7078 +/- 789 ng/ml) as compared to normal uterine perfusion (4481 +/- 1183 ng/ml) (P < 0.05) whereas visfatin plasma concentrations were not different between these groups. Visfatin levels were significantly elevated in women with IUGR (140.1 +/- 10 ng/ml) as compared to patients with normal outcome (65.5 +/- 11 ng/ml) (P < 0.05). By contrast, adiponectin plasma concentrations were not significantly altered in women with IUGR.
Conclusions: Our data support the view that the adipokines visfatin and adiponectin are differentially regulated in pregnancy complications.