Effect of Myo-Inositol Treatment on Serum Asprosin Levels of Pregnant Women: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Ali Cenk Özay, Özlen Emekçi Özay, Oğuz Han Edebal, Yusuf Özay, Mario Montanino Oliva, Simona Dinicola, Vittorio Unfer

Journal: Journal of pregnancy 2026;2025():8816154

PMID: 41497562

Abstract

OBJECTIVES

Asprosin is a newly discovered adipokine associated with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. Currently, its role during gestation is under investigation, as asprosin seems to increase during pregnancy, contributing to the onset of complications, like gestational diabetes. Considering the beneficial effects of myo-inositol to support the physiological pregnancy, recovering and preventing adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, we aimed to evaluate the effects of its supplementation on serum asprosin levels in pregnant women.

DESIGN

We enrolled 40 patients at the early stages of pregnancy and randomly distributed them to a study group, which received 2-g myo-inositol and 200-μg folic acid twice a day, or to a control group, which received the sole folic acid.

RESULTS

After 20-22 weeks of treatment, we recorded a decrease of serum asprosin values as well as of HOMA-IR index in the group supplemented with myo-inositol, while the group that took only folic acid showed an increase in asprosin levels and no worsening of insulin resistance indices (HOMA-IR index).

LIMITATIONS

The small number of patients could be a limitation of the study.

CONCLUSIONS

Asprosin may be modulated by myo-inositol. This opens the possibility of considering this adipokine as a useful marker of insulin resistance to assess in pregnant women and to efficaciously target in clinical practice. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05943158.

Address: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cyprus International University, Nicosia, Cyprus, ciu.edu.tr.; The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS), Rome, Italy.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Cyprus International University, Nicosia, Cyprus, ciu.edu.tr.; Department of Biochemistry, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus, neu.edu.tr.; Department of Medical Biology, Adıyaman University, Adıyaman, Turkey, adiyaman.edu.tr.; The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS), Rome, Italy.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santo Spirito Hospital, Rome, Italy.; The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS), Rome, Italy.; Systems Biology Group Lab, Rome, Italy.; The Experts Group on Inositol in Basic and Clinical Research and on PCOS (EGOI-PCOS), Rome, Italy.; Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, UniCamillus-Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome, Italy.

DOI: 10.1155/jp/8816154

MeSH Terms: Humans, Female, Pregnancy, Inositol, Pilot Projects, Adult, Folic Acid, Fibrillin-1, Prospective Studies, Insulin Resistance, Dietary Supplements, Biomarkers, Young Adult, Cytokines, Lectins, Adipokines, GPI-Linked Proteins