Impaired increase of plasma abscisic Acid in response to oral glucose load in type 2 diabetes and in gestational diabetes

• Published in: PloS one 2015-02, Vol.10 (2), p.e0115992-e0115992
• Main Authors: Ameri, Pietro, Bruzzone, Santina, Mannino, Elena, Sociali, Giovanna, Andraghetti, Gabriella, Salis, Annalisa, Ponta, Monica Laura, Briatore, Lucia, Adami, Giovanni F, Ferraiolo, Antonella, Venturini, Pier Luigi, Maggi, Davide, Cordera, Renzo, Murialdo, Giovanni, Zocchi, Elena
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abscisic acid; Abscisic Acid - blood; Acids; Adult; Aged; Blood Glucose; Case-Control Studies; Childbirth & labor; Comparative analysis; Diabetes mellitus; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes therapy; Diabetes, Gestational - blood; Diagnostic systems; Fasting; Female; Gestational diabetes; Glucose; Glucose tolerance; Glucose Tolerance Test; Homeostasis; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Hyperglycemia - blood; Middle Aged; Obesity; Pancreas; Patients; Plant hormones; Pregnancy; Pregnant women; Rodents; Type 2 diabetes; Womens health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115992

The plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is present and active in humans, regulating glucose homeostasis. In normal glucose tolerant (NGT) human subjects, plasma ABA (ABAp) increases 5-fold after an oral glucose load. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an oral glucose load on ABAp in type 2 diabetes (T2D) subjects. We chose two sub-groups of patients who underwent an oral glucose load for diagnostic purposes: i) 9 treatment-naive T2D subjects, and ii) 9 pregnant women with gestational diabetes (GDM), who underwent the glucose load before and 8-12 weeks after childbirth. Each group was compared with matched NGT controls. The increase of ABAp in response to glucose was found to be abrogated in T2D patients compared to NGT controls. A similar result was observed in the women with GDM compared to pregnant NGT controls; 8-12 weeks after childbirth, however, fasting ABAp and ABAp response to glucose were restored to normal in the GDM subjects, along with glucose tolerance. We also retrospectively compared fasting ABAp before and after bilio-pancreatic diversion (BPD) in obese, but not diabetic subjects, and in obese T2D patients, in which BPD resulted in the resolution of diabetes. Compared to pre-BPD values, basal ABAp significantly increased 1 month after BPD in T2D as well as in NGT subjects, in parallel with a reduction of fasting plasma glucose. These results indicate an impaired hyperglycemia-induced ABAp increase in T2D and in GDM and suggest a beneficial effect of elevated ABAp on glycemic control.