Abstract
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a type of diabetes initiated during pregnancy and is characterized by maternal hyperglycemia that induces complications in mothers and children. In the current study, we used a GDM mouse model (through i.p. injection of a single dose of streptozocin, STZ, 60 mg/kg/bw) to investigate the biochemical and immunological changes in the blood and brain of diabetic mothers and their offspring relative to their appropriate controls. In addition, we estimated the expression levels of a set of microRNAs (miRNAs) to link between the dysregulation in the levels of miRNAs and the exposure to oxidative stress during embryonic development, as well as metabolic changes that occur after birth and during puberty in offspring (5-weeks-old). At the biochemical level, newborn pups appeared mostly to suffer from the same oxidative stress conditions of their mothers as shown by the significant increase in nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in blood and brain of diabetic mothers and their pups. However, the 5-week-old offspring showed a significant increase in proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and based on their blood glucose levels, could be considered as prediabetic (with glucose mean value of 165 mg/dl). In the meantime, the tested miRNAs, especially miR-15b, miR-146a, and miR-138 showed mostly similar expression levels in diabetic mothers and newborn pups. In this regard, miR-15a and -15b, miR-146a, and miR-138 are downregulated in diabetic mothers and their newborn pups relative to their appropriate controls. However, in offspring of diabetic mothers at puberty age, these miRNAs displayed different expression levels relative to mothers and control offspring. Interestingly, miR-193 and miR-763 expression levels were significantly lower in diabetic mothers but upregulated in their 5-week-old offspring, suggesting that miR-193 and miR-763 could be used as biomarkers to differentiate between prediabetes and diabetes.