According to a clinical study conducted by the University of Warwick, a drug developed to combat diabetes can also be used as the first treatment to prevent miscarriage..

The treatment works by increasing the number of stem cells in the lining of the uterus, improving conditions in the uterus to support pregnancy..

Warwick Medical School study reported in EBioMedicine based on research conducted in collaboration with Coventry and Warwickshire University Hospitals and supported by NIHR Coventry and Warwickshire Clinical Research Center. The study was funded and conducted by the Tommy National Miscarriage Research Center.

Recurrent miscarriage is defined as the loss of two or more consecutive pregnancies, with additional miscarriages decreasing the chance of a successful pregnancy.. A previous study showed that due to the lack of stem cells in the lining of the uterus, thousands of women suffer from repeated miscarriages.. The team also demonstrated that stem cells protect specialized cells called decidual cells from excessive stress and inflammation.. Deficient cells surround the implanted embryo and excessive stress can cause destruction of the uterine lining during pregnancy.

A new class of diabetes drug called gliptins targets an enzyme involved in recruiting circulating stem cells to the uterus. Researchers have studied whether inhibiting this enzyme, called DPP4, using a specific drug, sitagliptin, can improve uterine health during pregnancy..

In a pilot clinical study, 38 women aged 18 to 42 who had a high number of recurrent miscarriages (average five) were given an oral course of sitagliptin or placebo for three menstrual cycles.. Uterine biopsies were taken at the beginning of the course of treatment and after it to determine the number of stem cells present before and after the course..

Scientists found an average increase in the number of stem cells by 68% in those women who completed the full course of sitagliptin. This is comparable to no significant increase in the control group receiving identical placebo tablets.. They also saw a 50% reduction in the number of "

The researchers now hope to bring the treatment to clinical trial, and if successful, it will be the first to specifically target the lining of the uterus to prevent miscarriage..

Professor Ian Brozens of the Warwick Medical School and reproductive health consultant at Coventry University Hospitals and the NHS Warwickshire Trust says: “There are very few effective treatments for miscarriage at present and this is the first one that aims to normalize the uterus before pregnancy.. Although miscarriages can be caused by genetic errors in the fetus, and abnormal uterine lining leads to the loss of a normal chromosomal pregnancy. We hope this new treatment will prevent such losses and reduce both the physical and psychological burden of recurrent miscarriage."

Professor Siobhan Kwenby of Warwick Clinical Research and Honorary Consultant at Coventry University Hospital and the Warwickshire NHS Trust says: “We have improved the environment in which the embryo develops and we hope this will increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.. This study was specifically designed to test if we can increase the presence of stem cells in the uterus. Follow-up of participants showed that those who took sitagliptin no longer had normal pregnancies..

These are very early results and the treatment now needs further testing in a large clinical trial.”.

Jane Bruin, chief executive of Tommy's, says: " This situation prompted me to invest in Tommy's National Center for Miscarriage Research and this groundbreaking study by a world leading team in Warwick shows great promise for an effective treatment that will reduce the chance of miscarriage and possibly later pregnancy loss.. Further studies are needed to verify the results obtained and to conduct large-scale trials.”.

medical-heal. en.