Serum and plasma determination of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors yield different results: the need for standardization in clinical practice.
OBJECTIVE
The importance of an anti-angiogenic state as a mechanism of disease in preeclampsia is now recognized. Assays for the determination of concentrations of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR)-1, sVEGFR-2, placental growth factor (PlGF) and soluble endoglin (sEng) have been developed for research and clinical laboratories. A key question is whether these factors should be measured in plasma or serum. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are differences in the concentrations of these analytes between plasma and serum in normal pregnancy and in preeclampsia.


METHODS
Samples of maternal blood were obtained by venipuncture and collected in EDTA (lavender top) and serum collection tubes (red top). A standard laboratory procedure was implemented for the centrifugation, aliquoting and storage of samples. Plasma and serum from 70 women with normal pregnancies and 34 patients with preeclampsia were assayed for sVEGFR-1, sVEGFR-2, PlGF and sEng by ELISA. Nonparametric paired tests were used for analyses.


RESULTS
A significant difference between plasma and serum concentration was observed for sVEGFR-1 and sVEGFR-2 in normal pregnancy, and for sVEGFR-1, sVEGFR-2, PlGF and sEng in women with preeclampsia.


CONCLUSIONS
The concentrations of sVEGFR-1, sVEGFR-2, PlGF and sEng when measured in maternal plasma and in serum are different. Therefore, the matrix used for the assay (serum versus plasma) needs to be considered when selecting thresholds for predictive studies and interpreting the growing body of literature on this subject.
Perinatology Research Branch, NICHD/NIH/DHHS, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Giovanna
G
Oggè
Roberto
R
Romero
Juan Pedro
JP
Kusanovic
Tinnakorn
T
Chaiworapongsa
Zhong
Z
Dong
Pooja
P
Mittal
Edi
E
Vaisbuch
Shali
S
Mazaki-Tovi
Juan M
JM
Gonzalez
Lami
L
Yeo
Sonia S
SS
Hassan
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000071063:Endoglin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D010949:Plasma; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000097:blood*; D012015:Reference Standards; D044967:Serum; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood*; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
D015703:Antigens, CD; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2