Effects of Quercetin and Melatonin in Pregnant and Gestational Diabetic Women

Hyperglycemic women might benefit from quercetin and melatonin which are reported to be effective in the treatment of diabetes. We compared the efficacy of both quercetin and melatonin in pregnant women with hyperglycemia. Our study group comprised 180 pregnant women with hyperglycemia. We divided the study into two groups of 90 each. We treated the women of one of these groups with quercetin and those of the second group with melatonin randomized open label treatment from the 15th week of pregnancy to the 33rd week, Neonatal complications were treated as primary endpoints. Glycemic control and maternal complications were considered as secondary endpoints. The primary outcome, which was the combination of the six neonatal outcomes, was seen in 20% (17/85) of the subjects of the melatonin group and in 34.12 % (28/82) of the quercetin group. Hypoglycemia was not observed in the neonates of the melatonin group or the quercetin group. Eighteen out of the 85 (21.17% neonates born to the women treated with melatonin needed phototherapy) while 24 out of the 82 neonates (29.27% born to the women treated with quercetin needed phototherapy). The secondary outcomes, (the mean birth weights, adjusted for gestational age at delivery, height of the mother, and gender of the newborn) were identical in the melatonin group (3211 +/- 82.4 g) and quercetin group (3232 +/- 100.28 g). The blood glucose levels of the two groups after fasting, after breakfast, after lunch and after dinner are found to be different between the groups and have statistical significant p values. Significant Glycemic control with significant p value of less than 0.0001 was observed in melatonin treatment as comapared to quercetin treatment. The other secondary outcomes of the two groups were similar. Labor pains were induced in more women in melatonin group than in the quercetin group 43 (50.29%) vs 48 (58.54%), but the difference was not significant. In conclusion; melatonin is clinically more efficacious in secondary and composite outcomes as compared with quercetin in treating pregnant women with hyperglycemia.