title: Endoglin in pregnancy complicated by fetal intrauterine growth restriction in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnant women: a comparison between preeclamptic patients with appropriate-for-gestational-age weight infants and healthy pregnant women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine the maternal serum endoglin concentration in pregnancies with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in the presence or absence of preeclampsia and to compare the results with preeclamptic pregnant women with appropriate-for-gestational-age weight infants and with healthy pregnant controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was performed on 52 normotensive pregnant patients with pregnancy complicated by isolated IUGR, 33 patients with preeclampsia complicated by IUGR and 33 preeclamptic patients with appropriate-for-gestational-age weight infants. The control group consisted of 54 healthy normotensive pregnant patients with singleton uncomplicated pregnancies. The maternal serum endoglin concentrations were determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study revealed increased levels of endoglin in the serum of women with normotensive pregnancy complicated by isolated IUGR, and in both groups of preeclamptic patients with and without IUGR. The levels of endoglin were the highest in pregnancy complicated by fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) in the course of preeclampsia. The mean values were 12.2 ± 4.3 ng/ml in the IUGR group, 14.1 ± 3.6 ng/ml in preeclamptic patients with normal intrauterine fetal growth, 15.1 ± 3.2 ng/ml in preeclamptic pregnant women with IUGR and 10.6 ± 3.7 ng/ml in the healthy controls. We also found positive correlations between serum endoglin levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressure and inverse correlations between maternal endoglin and infant birth weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that increased endoglin concentration may be at least responsible for the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and/or intrauterine fetal growth restriction. It seems that the pathomechanism underlying the development of preeclampsia and isolated IUGR is similar, but that their beginning or intensity may be different in these two pregnancy complications. The positive correlation between endoglin and blood pressure and inverse correlation between endoglin and infant birth weight and additionally higher levels of ENG in patients with pregnancy complicated by HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, increased liver enzymes, low platelet count) or eclampsia suggest that endoglin may be a marker of severity of these pregnancy disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Perinatology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. melaskowska@go2.pl
authors.forename: Marzena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Laskowska
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laskowska
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oleszczuk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000071063:Endoglin; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood*; D020567:Fetal Weight / Q000502:physiology; D005865:Gestational Age; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology; D037841:Pregnant People; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015415:Biomarkers; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface