title: Plasma lipocalin-2 levels in pregnant women with pre-eclampsia, and their relation with severity of disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare lipocalin-2 (LCN2) levels in pre-eclamptic women with those in healthy pregnant women, and to determine whether there is a correlation between LCN2 levels and the severity of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 66 pregnant women: 22 healthy pregnant women (Group 1), 23 women with mild pre-eclampsia (Group 2), and 21 women with severe pre-eclampsia (Group 3). Pre-eclamptic women and normal controls were carefully matched for maternal age, gestational age, and body mass index (BMI). The maternal levels of plasma LCN2 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Plasma LCN2 levels in the pre-eclamptic group were significantly lower than those in the healthy control group (p < 0.05). Although plasma LCN2 level was lower in the severe compared to the mild pre-eclamptic group, the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between LCN2 levels and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), BMI, triglyceride, gestational week at delivery, birth weight, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in pre-eclamptic and healthy pregnant women (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results show that there are decreased concentrations of plasma LCN2 in pre-eclamptic subjects and this may indicate that LCN2 plays a role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. However, further experiments are needed to clarify this role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sutcu Imam University School of Medicine, Kahramanmaras, Turkey.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cemgil Arikan
authors.forename: Mesut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ozkaya
authors.forename: Ertan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adali
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kilinc
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: Fidan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bilge
mesh_terms: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000209:Acute-Phase Proteins; D007328:Insulin; C489506:LCN2 protein, human; D000071068:Lipocalin-2; D054834:Lipocalins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014280:Triglycerides