A decrease in maternal plasma concentrations of sVEGFR-2 precedes the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to examine if maternal plasma concentrations of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sVEGFR)-2 change prior to the diagnosis of preeclampsia.


METHODS
A longitudinal study was conducted in normal pregnant women (n = 160) and patients with preeclampsia (n = 40). Blood samples were collected at 7 gestational age intervals from 6 weeks to term. Plasma concentrations of sVEGFR-2 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Analysis was performed with cross-sectional and longitudinal (mixed effects model) approaches.


RESULTS
Mothers destined to develop preeclampsia have lower plasma sVEGFR-2 concentrations than those who will have a normal pregnancy (longitudinal approach; P < .05). Cross-sectional analysis suggested that the median plasma sVEGFR-2 concentration in women destined to develop preeclampsia was significantly lower than that in normal pregnant women from 28-31 weeks of gestation (P = .001) or 6-10 weeks prior to the diagnosis (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
A lower maternal plasma sVEGFR-2 concentration precedes the development of preeclampsia, both term and preterm.
Chaiworapongsa
Tinnakorn
T
Perinatology Research Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Detroit, MI 48201, USA. tchaiwor@med.wayne.edu
Romero
Roberto
R
Tarca
Adi L
AL
Kusanovic
Juan Pedro
JP
Gotsch
Francesca
F
Mittal
Pooja
P
Kim
Sun Kwon
SK
Vaisbuch
Edi
E
Mazaki-Tovi
Shali
S
Erez
Offer
O
Dong
Zhong
Z
Kim
Chong Jai
CJ
Yeo
Lami
L
Hassan
Sonia S
SS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D040301:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2