Maternal nerve growth factor levels during pregnancy in women with preeclampsia: A longitudinal study.
Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by hypertension and proteinuria. Improper development of the placenta due to altered angiogenesis is the main culprit in PE. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is an angiogenic factor which is expressed and localized in the placenta. Our earlier cross sectional study has shown altered NGF levels at delivery in women with PE. However, there are no studies on NGF levels in PE early in pregnancy before manifestation of the disease. Thus, there is a need to examine the role of NGF in vascular development during different stages of gestation in PE. A longitudinal study was carried out where pregnant women were enrolled from two major hospitals from Pune, Bharati hospital and Gupte hospital. They were followed at three different time points [16-20 weeks (T1), 26-30 weeks (T2) and at delivery (T3)] during pregnancy and maternal blood at every time point and cord blood at delivery was collected and processed. This study included normotensive women (n=88) and women with PE (n=48). NGF levels were measured from maternal and cord plasma using the Emax Immuno Assay System (Promega). The data was analyzed using the SPSS/PC+ package (Version 20.0, Chicago, IL, USA). Maternal NGF levels did not change at all time points while cord NGF levels were higher (p<0.05) in women with PE. Further, maternal NGF levels were negatively associated with blood pressure while cord NGF levels were positively associated with baby head circumference. Our data suggests that there may possibly be a compensatory role for NGF in the foeto-placental circulation in PE.
Department of Nutritional Medicine, Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Vandita
V
D'souza
Department of Nutritional Medicine, Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Anitha
A
Kilari
Department of Nutritional Medicine, Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Hemlata
H
Pisal
Department of Nutritional Medicine, Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Vidya
V
Patil
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bharati Medical College and Hospital, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Savita
S
Mehendale
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Bharati Medical College and Hospital, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India.
Girija
G
Wagh
Gupte Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, India.
Sanjay
S
Gupte
Department of Nutritional Medicine, Interactive Research School for Health Affairs, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune, India. Electronic address: srjoshi62@gmail.com.
Sadhana
S
Joshi
D000328:Adult; D003267:Contraception; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor
Blood pressure; NGF; Neurotrophins; Placenta; Preeclampsia