Sons of mothers with type 1 diabetes show early signs of vascular dysfunction
A new study from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University reveals that sons born to mothers with type 1 diabetes may develop early vascular dysfunction – independently of metabolic health. The finding may help shape future strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease early in life.
Children of women with type 1 diabetes are known to be at increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This new study, published in Cell Reports Medicine, is the first to show that the risk is linked to early dysfunction in blood vessel cells in sons, even before any metabolic issues arise.
Researchers from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and collaborators used a combination of animal models, Swedish and Danish health registries, and a small clinical study to explore the link. Results show a sex-specific effect: only sons displayed early vascular changes.
“Our work shows that vascular function is affected before metabolic dysfunction appears, which challenges current assumptions,” says Qiaolin Deng, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University and last author of the study.
Driven by oxidative stress
The study found that the dysfunction is driven by oxidative stress in endothelial cells, a potential early sign of future cardiovascular disease. The findings could help clinicians better assess risk and focus on preventive measures.
“We observed that early intervention can restore vascular function in affected animals, pointing to new opportunities for disease prevention later in life,” adds first author Allan Zhao, PhD student at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University.
The team is now investigating the long-term effects of maternal diabetes, with a particular focus on why sons seem to be affected earlier than daughters.
The study was conducted in collaboration with Aarhus University in Denmark. See the scientific article for information on funding and conflicts of interest.
Publication
"Maternal diabetes programs sexually dimorphic early-onset cardiovascular dysfunction in metabolically healthy offspring", Allan Zhao, Yuxia Wei, Eftychia Kontidou, Ali Mahdi, Paulo R. Jannig, Sara Torstensson, Hong Jiang, Alice Larsson, Aida Collado, Rawan Humoud, Jacob Grünler, David Ersgård, Buket Öztürk Esen, Xiaowei Zheng, Haojiang Lu, Eva Lindgren, Sanjiv Risal, Jian Zhao, Elisabet Stener-Victorin, Henrik Toft Sørensen, Lars Pedersen, John Pernow, Zhichao Zhou, Sofia Carlsson, Sergiu-Bogdan Catrina, Qiaolin Deng, Cell Reports Medicine, online 11 November 2025, doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2025.102454.