Insulin stimulation of Akt/PKB phosphorylation in the placenta of preeclampsia patients

Authors

  • Gustavo Dias Ferreira Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • Rafael Bueno Orcy Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • Sérgio Hofmeister Martins-Costa Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • José Geraldo Lopes Ramos Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • Ilma Simoni Brum Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • Helena von Eye Corleta Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre
  • Edison Capp Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Keywords:

Pre-eclampsia, Placenta, Insulin resistance, Receptor, insulin, Proto-oncogene proteins c-akt

Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia is a multi-systemic disease and one of the most frequent severe health problems during pregnancy. Binding of insulin triggers phosphorylation and activates cytoplasmic substrates such as phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K). Phosphorylation of membrane phosphoinositide 2 (PIP2) to phosphoinositide 3 (PIP3) by PI3K starts Akt/PKB activation. Defects in phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and its substrates have an important role in insulin resistance. Studies have shown that insulin resistance is associated with preeclampsia and its pathophysiology. The aim here was to investigate insulin stimulation of the Akt/PKB pathway in the placenta, in normal and preeclampsia parturients. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in a tertiary public university hospital. METHODS: Placentas were collected from 12 normal and 12 preeclampsia patients. These were stimulated and analyzed using Western blot to quantify the Akt/PKB phosphorylation. RESULTS: The insulin stimulation was confirmed through comparing the stimulated group (1.14 ± 0.10) with the non-stimulated group (0.91 ± 0.08; P < 0.001). The phosphorylation of Akt/PKB did not differ between the placenta of the normal patients (1.26 ± 0.16) and those of the preeclampsia patients (1.01 ± 0.11; P = 0.237). CONCLUSIONS: In vitro insulin stimulation of the human placenta has been well established. There was no difference in Akt/PKB phosphorylation, after stimulation with insulin, between placentas of normal and preeclampsia patients. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that the Akt/PKB signaling pathway may have a role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, since the substrates of Akt/PKB still need to be investigated.

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Author Biographies

Gustavo Dias Ferreira, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MSc, Molecular, Endocrine and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and PhD Student in Gynecology and Molecular Obstetrics Laboratory, Research Center, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Rafael Bueno Orcy, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

PhD. Physiologist, Molecular, Endocrine and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and Researcher in Gynecology and Molecular Obstetrics Laboratory, Research Center, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Sérgio Hofmeister Martins-Costa, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MD, PhD. Adjunct Professor, Gynecology and Obstetrics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

José Geraldo Lopes Ramos, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MD, PhD. Associate Professor, Gynecology and Obstetrics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Ilma Simoni Brum, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MD, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, Molecular, Endocrine and Tumor Biology Laboratory, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Gynecology and Molecular Obstetrics Laboratory, Research Center, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Helena von Eye Corleta, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MD. Associate Professor, Gynecology and Obstetrics Service, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Edison Capp, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

MD, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), and Coordinator of Master’s degree program in Biological Sciences (Physiology), Molecular, Endocrine and Tumor Biology Laboratory, UFRGS, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

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Published

2011-11-11

How to Cite

1.
Ferreira GD, Orcy RB, Martins-Costa SH, Ramos JGL, Brum IS, Corleta H von E, Capp E. Insulin stimulation of Akt/PKB phosphorylation in the placenta of preeclampsia patients. Sao Paulo Med J [Internet]. 2011 Nov. 11 [cited 2025 Sep. 29];129(6):387-91. Available from: https://periodicosapm.emnuvens.com.br/spmj/article/view/1639

Issue

Vol. 129 No. 6 (2011)

Section

Original Article

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