Hsa_circRNA_102682 is closely related to lipid metabolism in gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective To explore the relationship between circular RNA (circRNA) in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and the metabolic profile at the molecular level, and find a biological marker that can predict GDM early. Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted using data and samples from women treated at a hospital in China between January 10 2018 and February 20 2019. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the expression level of hsa_circRNA_102682 in serum and analyze its correlation with lipid metabolism parameters. Results Advanced age and higher pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) during pregnancy are risk factors for GDM. The expression level of hsa_circ_102682 was lower among the cases than the controls (p=.000). The levels of triglyceride, apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), APOB, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were different between the controls and cases (p<.05). Hsa_circRNA_102682 was significantly correlated with triglycerides, APOA1, APOB, 1-h blood glucose in the serum of GDM patients, and the correlation coefficients were 0.319, 0.314, 0.286, and 0.311, respectively (p<.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.684 (95% confidence interval 0.611-0.756, p=.0001). Conclusions Hsa_circRNA_102682 may regulate lipid metabolism, participate in the pathogenesis of GDM. It can be used as a marker to predict GDM.