Diagnostic value of serum level of Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL for early renal dysfunction in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Objective To explore the diagnostic value of serum galectin-3 (Gal-3), vasohibin-1 (VASH-1) and neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) for early diagnosis of renal dysfunction in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Methods A total of 96 GDM patients admitted to Jinhua People′s Hospital of Zhejiang Province from June 2023 to July 2024 were selected as the observation group, and 96 pregnant women with normal prenatal examination during the same period were selected as the control group. ELISA method was used to detect the serum level of Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL. According to the content of albumin in the urine of the patients at 24 h, the observation group was divided into diabetic nephropathy group and diabetic group. Pearson method to analyze correlations; Logistic regression analysis of related factors; ROC curves were used to predict performance. Results Glycosylated hemoglobin, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein and fasting blood glucose level in patients with gestational diabetes and the serum level of Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus were higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05). The serum level of Gal-3 and VASH-1, was positively correlated , serum level of Gal-3 and NGAL, serum level of VASH-1 and NGAL were all positively correlated (P＜0.001). The level of fasting blood glucose, serum Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL in the diabetic nephropathy group were significantly higher than those in the diabetic group (P＜0.05). High level of serum Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL were independent risk factors for early renal impairment in patients with GDM(P＜0.05). The serum level of Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL and the area under the curve (AUC) of the combined prediction of early renal impairment in patients were 0.853, 0.678, 0.865 and 0.955, respectively. Conclusions The serum level of Gal-3, VASH-1 and NGAL in GDM patients is increased especially the patients with early renal impairment. The prediction of triple combination for early renal impairment in GDM patients is more effective than that of patients with GDM alone.