Relationship between urinary albumin and serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) in normal pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate if the circulating level of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) correlates with urinary albumin excretion in normal pregnancy.


METHODS
Serum specimens and 24h urine collections were requested from normal pregnant women at 28-30 weeks of gestation and the following laboratory tests were performed: serum creatinine, urinary protein, urinary albumin and creatinine clearance. For the present study, 117 normal pregnant women were selected as subjects. Subjects' serum was tested to determine sFlt-1 and VEGF concentrations by ELISA. The correlation between sFlt-1 or VEGF concentrations in the serum and renal laboratory variables were analyzed. Simple regression was used to evaluate the correlations.


RESULTS
A significant association was noted between serum sFlt-1 concentration and urinary albumin excretion (r=0.68; P<.0001). Similarly, a significant association was noted between serum VEGF concentration and urinary albumin excretion (r=-0.39; P<.0001). Other urinary variables showed no correlations with either sFlt-1 or VEGF.


CONCLUSIONS
Even in normal pregnancy, albumin excretion is affected by an increase in placentally derived sFlt-1. If the sFlt-1 level is kept within normal range, only glomerular endothelial cells are affected and this phenomenon does not spread to the endothelial cells of a whole body.
Yoshimatsu
Jun
J
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, 1-1 Idaigaoka, Hasama, Oita 8790053, Japan. JUNY@med.oita-u.ac.jp
Matsumoto
Harunobu
H
Goto
Kiyomi
K
Shimano
Masako
M
Narahara
Hisashi
H
Miyakawa
Isao
I
D000328:Adult; D000419:Albuminuria; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000502:physiology*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000502:physiology
C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C501162:FLT1 protein, human; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1