Maternal periodontal disease and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 expression.
BACKGROUND
This study was conducted to examine the relationship between maternal periodontal disease and plasma angiogenic factor expression of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt)-1.


METHODS
This was a nested case-control study of 220 women, including 45 healthy women with evidence of active periodontal disease, 98 women without evidence of active periodontal disease, 13 women with fetal exposure to oral pathogens, and 64 women without fetal exposure to oral pathogens. Active periodontal disease was defined as the presence of moderate/severe periodontal disease and evidence of periodontal disease progression. Fetal exposure to oral pathogens was determined by fetal immunoglobulin M (IgM) umbilical cord seropositivity. Maternal plasma was collected at <26 weeks of gestation; umbilical cord blood was collected at delivery. sFlt-1 was measured with an immunoradiometric assay. Demographic and medical data were chart abstracted. Maternal variables and sFlt-1 concentrations were compared between cases and controls using the Student t and chi(2) tests and analysis of variance.


RESULTS
The median sFlt-1 concentration at the time of enrollment for all women was 2,374 pg/ml (interquartile range [IQR]: 1,504 to 3,194 pg/ml). Women with evidence of fetal exposure to oral pathogens had significantly higher sFlt-1 concentrations compared to IgM-negative fetuses (3,383 pg/ml [IQR: 2,610 to 4,244 pg/ml] versus 2,123 pg/ml [IQR: 1,456 to 3,011 pg/ml]; P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Fetal exposure to oral pathogens was associated with increased plasma concentrations of sFlt-1 early in pregnancy.
Horton
Amanda L
AL
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. amanda_horton@med.unc.edu
Boggess
Kim A
KA
Moss
Kevin L
KL
Beck
James
J
Offenbacher
Steven
S
D000328:Adult; D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents / Q000097:blood; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D044883:Campylobacter rectus / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D016967:Fusobacterium nucleatum / Q000276:immunology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D017622:Periodontal Attachment Loss / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000382:microbiology; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000382:microbiology; D017861:Porphyromonas / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology*; D018720:Prevotella / Q000276:immunology; D045242:Prevotella nigrescens / Q000276:immunology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012995:Solubility; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood*
D043925:Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1