The expression of resistin mRNA in fetal tissues and cells was examined by quantitative real-time PCR. As shown in Fig. 3a, resistin was highly expressed in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs). Placenta also expressed resistin but at much lower abundance, whereas expression of resistin was not detectable in mesenchymal stem cells isolated from umbilical cord Wharton’s Jelly, nor in BeWo cells, a placental trophoblast cell line (Fig. 3a). Treating CBMCs with high glucose, palmitate, or the inflammatory factor TNFα, but not the oxidative stress inducer 4-HNE, resulted in increased levels of resistin in the culture media (Fig. 3b).