Affiliations: Department of Biology, Hillsdale College, Hillsdale,
278 N. West St., Dow Science 213, MI 49242, USA. Tel.: +1 517 6072393; Fax: +1
517 6072252; E-mail: rmiller2@hillsdale.edu
Abstract: As the incidence of both type-1 and type-2 diabetes increases, more
diabetes-related complications are being observed in pediatric patients.
However, some diabetes-related issues in pediatric patients may be a carry-over
or consequence of gestational or fetal diabetes. Elevated maternal glucose
levels have been associated with increased incidence of spontaneous abortions,
perinatal mortality, stillbirths, and congenital malformations. A few of these
congenital malformations (embryopathy) in both humans and animals include skin
discoloration; webbed toes; cleft lips and palates; congenital heart defects;
and neural tube defects. While neural tube defects and congenital heart defects
are the most frequent consequence of embryonic / fetal hyperglycemia,
hyperglycemia-induced hepatic and renal developmental problems are also known.
Hyperglycemia-induced embryopathy has been associated with reduced cell
proliferation, oxidative-stress, increased rates of lipid peroxidation coupled
with increased homocysteine levels, and apoptosis. Consequently, this review
discusses embryonic hyperglycemia-induced reduced embryo viability, increased
rates of oxidative-stress, increased lipid peroxidation rates coupled with
elevated homocysteine levels, and increased apoptosis rates.
