Features of the Metabolomic Profile in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Aim. To identify the features of the metabolomic profile in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Design. A single-center observational study based on the "casе — сontrol" design. Materials and methods. The main group included 24 patients with GDM, while the control group consisted of 21 pregnant women without GDM. The concentrations of 26 amino acids in morning urine samples were studied in all patients. The amino acid content determination was performed at Chromolab LLC using an HPLC Agilent 1200 chromatographic system. Statistical analysis of the obtained data was carried out using IBM SPSS v. 26 software. Results. Analysis of the metabolomic profile revealed reduced total urinary amino acid content in the presence of GDM: in the main group, this indicator was 931.5 (658– 1020.6), in the control group — 1197.4 (710.9–1290.8) mmol/mol creatinine, however, no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.09). The concentrations of most amino acids in the main group were decreased, but compared to the control group, it showed slightly higher levels of glutamic acid, serine, ornithine, citrulline, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (p > 0.05). However, statistically significant differences were found between the study groups in the concentration levels of three amino acids: valine, lysine, and glutamine. Conclusion. Enabling the measurement of thousands of metabolites in complex biological systems, particularly in the human body, metabolomics is becoming a widely used method for biomarker identification and in research related to GDM. Metabolites in urine can become biomarkers of GDM and provide further understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of this disease. Keywords: gestational diabetes mellitus, biomarkers, metabolomics, amino acids.