Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: GIULLIANO SANTOS DE SA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : GIULLIANO SANTOS DE SA
DATE: 27/08/2026
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: Sala de Aulas GEP/MEJC
TITLE:

FERROPTOSIS BIOMARKERS AND APOE GENE POLYMORPHISM IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH GESTATIONAL DIABETES MELLITUS: RELATIONSHIP WITH MENTAL HEALTH DYSREGULATION

KEY WORDS:

Gestational Diabetes; Maternal Mental Health; Apolipoprotein E; Ferroptosis

PAGES: 46
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Saúde Coletiva
SUMMARY:

The dialogue between biological and mental/psychological aspects during pregnancy is consolidated as a fertile field of investigation, as there is still an area not fully understood in its nuances. Furthermore, there is a growing number of studies seeking to investigate how the intersection of these elements influences the pregnant woman's quality of life, health, and adaptive capacity. The present study aims to analyze the association between perceived mental health symptoms, inflammatory processes via lipid peroxidation (ferroptosis), and the expression of apolipoprotein E (APOE) alleles. This is an observational, case-control study with a cross-sectional design, conducted with pregnant women diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) according to the criteria of the Brazilian Diabetes Society. Participants in the case group were recruited at the Januário Cicco Maternity School (MEJC/UFRN), a reference institution for high-risk pregnancies, while members of the control group (low risk) are being enrolled in Primary Health Care Units (UBS) in the municipality of Natal/RN. Data collection occurred at a single moment, simultaneously encompassing the obtainment of biological samples and the assessment of mental health constructs. The information collected refers to sociodemographic, clinical, and obstetric characteristics, including age, education, marital status, income, history of previous pregnancies, and associated comorbidities. Maternal blood was collected following a standard protocol for the storage and extraction of APOE alleles and analysis of ferroptosis markers, according to Thermo Fisher's technical manuals. For the mental health assessment, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were administered and scored, following the guidelines of their respective manuals. For statistical analysis, possible associations between ferroptosis markers, the manifestation of APOE allelic variants, and the scores of the psychological questionnaires were investigated. The partial sample currently consists of 43 pregnant women (37 in the case group and 6 in the control group), revealing a population in which 86% have a family income of up to two minimum wages and 79% report previous pregnancies. Preliminary results demonstrate a strong, positive, and significant correlation among the constructs of stress, anxiety, and depression (Stress and Anxiety: r = 0.645, p < 0.001; Stress and Depression: r = 0.660, p < 0.001; Anxiety and Depression: r = 0.731, p < 0.001). It was found that social and clinical conditions, such as living in a stable union (t = 2.847; p = 0.007) and having a previous history of postpartum depression (t = 4.102; p < 0.001), acted as risk predictors for mental illness. Regarding biological markers, no significant statistical correlation was observed between APOE gene expression and lipid peroxidation levels at this stage (ρ = -0.290; p = 0.142). On the other hand, multiple regression revealed an inverse association of clinical interest for the APOE ε3/ε3 (t = -2.859; p = 0.009), APOE ε4/ε2 (t = -2.708; p = 0.013), and APOE ε4/ε3 (t = -2.335; p = 0.030) allelic variants, which presented themselves in the statistical model as possible protective factors in the affective regulation of the analyzed sample. Therefore, preliminarily, it is possible to surmise that there is a strong mutual correlation between mental illness and the evaluated constructs. Of clinical relevance, the modulating role of the APOE ε3/ε3, ε4/ε2, and ε4/ε3 allelic variants stands out, as they acted as significant biological protective factors in the affective regulation of these pregnant women.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Externa ao Programa - 1350337 - FIVIA DE ARAUJO LOPES - nullExterna à Instituição - MELYSSA KELLYANE CAVALCANTI GALDINO - UFPB
Presidente - ***.283.220-** - RICARDO NEY OLIVEIRA COBUCCI - UFRN