The microbiome in gestational diabetes

Manole COJOCARU
Department of Physiology and Immunology, “Titu Maiorescu” University, Faculty of Medicine, Bucharest, Romania

Summary
The potential role of the intestinal microbiome (the community of bacteria existing in the gastrointestinal tract) during pregnancy has become of considerable interest.
The microbiota has been proposed to be playing a prominent role in this process. Preg- nancy is also accompanied by immune changes that allow the foetus to survive and immune cells to constantly interact in the gut. All bacteria that live inside the body are known as the
microbiome.
A variety of factors influence the composition of the intestinal microbiota, such as ge- netic factors of the host, comorbidities, antibiotic / prebiotic / probiotic use, eating habits, and pregnancy. The intestinal microbiome can modulate metabolic health and affect insulin resistance and lipid metabolism.
Dysbiosis, the altered composition of the microbiota, has been hypothesized to be playing a key role in the pathogenesis of many acute and chronic conditions, including me- tabolic diseases such as obesity, insulin resistance, and type 1 and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A distinct aspect of the microbiota and the microbiome is present in gestational diabetes
mellitus (GDM).
The host’s immune system can also contribute to the composition of the intestinal micro- biota and therefore affect maternal hormones. Growing evidence suggests that the intestinal microbiota plays a role in the pathogenesis of the GDM. The impact of diet on the microbi- ota of patients with GDM was recently addressed by an observational study.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between the composition of the intestinal microbiome, the potential relationship between the placental microbiota and the GDM. These results suggest that manipulation of the composition of the intestinal microbi-
ome may influence pregnancy metabolism.
Further studies are needed on this important topic.
Keywords:
gestational diabetes, microbiome, intestinal microbiota

Correspondence: * Assoc.Prof. Manole Cojocaru PhD., CS I, EuSpLM, E-mail: manole.cojocaru@yahoo.com, phone +40723326663