title: Suppression of serum vascular endothelial growth factor immunoreactivity in normal pregnancy and in pre-eclampsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations are altered in pre-eclampsia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum was prepared from peripheral venous blood and stored at -70 degrees C. Serum VEGF concentrations were measured by ELISA.
  
  
  METHODS
  University of Glasgow Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two healthy nonpregnant volunteer women, 34 normal pregnant women and 34 women with pre-eclampsia were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum concentrations of VEGF were significantly lower in normal pregnant women (median value 12.89 pg/mL) than in nonpregnant women (median value 166 pg/mL; P < 0.0001). In pre-eclampsia VEGF concentrations were significantly lower (median value 2.34 pg/mL) than normal pregnancies (P < 0.0001). Postpartum concentrations of VEGF in the group complicated by pre-eclampsia (median value 76.42 pg/mL) were not significantly different from nonpregnant values (P = 0.2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that serum concentrations of VEGF are suppressed in pregnancy and further reduced in pre-eclampsia. Further studies to elucidate the mechanisms which lead to a reduction in VEGF concentrations may provide new clues to the aetiology of this disorder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lyall
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Greer
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boswell
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fleming
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000097:blood*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D008222:Lymphokines; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors