زینب زاهدیان نژادی

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is a marker of T cell activation. ADA catalyzes the deamination of adenosine and modulates the bioactivity of insulin. The aim of this study was to investigate a possible relationship between ADA activity and various clinical and metabolic parameters, including fasting plasma sugar (FBS) and glycated hemoglobin (HBA1c), in gestational diabetes (GDM).

Fasting ADA activity, FBS, HBA1c, serum insulin level, and blood lipids were measured in 70 GDM patients and in 70 non-diabetic pregnant subjects. Insulin resistance was measured using a homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).

ADA activity was increased in the GDM patients compared with that in the non-diabetic pregnant subjects (mean ± standard error, 13.9 ± 7.1 U/L vs. 9.6 ± 3.8 U/L; p value <0.0001). ADA activity was correlated with FBS (r=0.277, p value =0.001) and HbA1c (r=0.344, p value <0.0001). HOMA-IR was higher in the GDM patients than that in the non-diabetic pregnant subjects; however, no correlation was observed between ADA activity and HOMA-IR.

Our results show that ADA activity, as a marker of T cell activation, is increased in GDM. Serum levels of ADA activity are positively correlated with glycemic control.