Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a condition in which a hormone made by the placenta prevents the body from using insulin effectively. It is important to find an effective treatment. A mouse model of GDM was used to testify the effects of astaxanthin on glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. Production of inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) translocation and insulin-related signaling were measured in the presence of astaxanthin both in vivo and in vitro. It was found that astaxanthin improved insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance, and litter size of offspring and reduced birth weight of offspring and inflammation in GDM mouse. Moreover, astaxanthin increased GLUT4 translocating to membrane without altering its secretion/expression and glucose uptake and consumption in C2C12 skeletal muscle cells. Furthermore, ROS generation and insulin-related signaling inhibited by tumor necrosis factor α was restored by astaxanthin. It is concluded that astaxanthin has the potential to attenuate GDM symptoms by regulating inflammation and insulin resistance in skeletal muscle of pregnant mice. Our findings suggest that astaxanthin could be a promising and effective molecule to treat GDM.

妊娠糖尿病（GDM）是一种由胎盘产生的激素阻止人体有效使用胰岛素的疾病。找到有效的治疗方法很重要。使用GDM小鼠模型验证虾青素对葡萄糖耐量和胰岛素敏感性的影响。在体内和体外都存在虾青素的情况下，测量了炎症细胞因子，活性氧（ROS）和4型葡萄糖转运蛋白（GLUT4）易位以及胰岛素相关信号的产生。已发现虾青素改善了GDM小鼠的胰岛素敏感性，葡萄糖耐量和后代产仔数，并降低了后代出生体重和炎症。此外，虾青素增加了GLUT4向膜的转运，而没有改变其C2C12骨骼肌细胞的分泌/表达以及葡萄糖的摄取和消耗。此外，虾青素恢复了由肿瘤坏死因子α抑制的ROS生成和胰岛素相关信号传导。结论是虾青素可能通过调节妊娠小鼠骨骼肌的炎症和胰岛素抵抗而减轻GDM症状。我们的发现表明虾青素可能是治疗GDM的有前途和有效的分子。