Placental growth factor: a predictive marker for preeclampsia?
BACKGROUND
An imbalance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors plays a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Serum levels of placental growth factor (PLGF), a factor promoting angiogenesis, in patients with preeclampsia are significantly lower than in nonpreeclamptic pregnancies. This study was designed to answer the question whether the measurement of PLGF at the beginning of the second trimester might be a predictive factor for the appearance of preeclampsia.


METHODS
Serum samples of 61 women were collected between 15 and 18 weeks of pregnancy. PLGF levels were measured using a human PLGF ELISA and correlated with the outcomes of pregnancy.


RESULTS
7 women (11.47%) developed preeclampsia during pregnancy. Their PLGF levels between 15 and 18 weeks of pregnancy were significantly lower (p < 0.001) compared to the nonpreeclamptic pregnancies. Using a PLGF level of 41.84 pg/ml as a cutoff, this test has a sensitivity of 0.87 and a specificity of 0.83.


CONCLUSIONS
Women who will develop preeclampsia in the course of pregnancy already have a significantly lower expression of PLGF between 15 and 18 weeks of pregnancy compared to those who will not. This test offers new possibilities in the prediction of preeclampsia.
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany. markus.schmidt@uk-essen.de
Markus
M
Schmidt
Canan
C
Dogan
Cahit
C
Birdir
Ulrich
U
Kuhn
Alexandra
A
Gellhaus
Rainer
R
Kimmig
Sabine
S
Kasimir-Bauer
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D015415:Biomarkers; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor