title: Elevated levels of neuropeptide Y in preeclampsia: A pilot study implicating a role for stress in pathogenesis of the disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine if preeclampsia (PE) is associated with dysregulation of the neuropeptide Y (NPY) system.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study enrolled 114 subjects either with normal pregnancy (NP) or with PE. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was collected from patients using a standard sphygmomanometer. The PE patients were divided into two groups based on the gestational age (GA) at delivery - placental PE (PLPE, GA <34 weeks) or maternal PE (MTPE, GA ≥34 weeks). NPY was measured in platelet rich plasma (PRP), platelet poor plasma (PPP) and in the serum of NP and PE patients utilizing radioimmunoassay. Serum levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) were measured in NP and PE subjects by ELISA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SBP was higher in PE compared to NP. Circulating NPY in serum and PRP, as well as NPY content per 100,000 platelets, but not its concentrations in PPP, were elevated in PE, as compared to NP. The highest NPY concentrations were observed in sera and PRP of patients with MTPE. PE patients had also elevated levels of sFlt-1, as compared to NP, although no difference between PLPE and MTPL groups were observed. There was no increase in P1GF in PE patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Systemic NPY is elevated in PE patients, as compared to NP. This increase is observed in blood fractions containing platelets, suggesting accumulation of the peptide in these cells. NPY concentrations are particularly high in patients with MTPE, underlying differences in etiology between PLPE and MTPE. Our study implicates NPY as a potential target in antihypertensive therapies for PE patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte UNIBH, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil; Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais UFMG, Belo Horizonte Brazil.
authors.forename: Sara P C
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte UNIBH, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Clara A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Veloso
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Centro Universitário de Belo Horizonte UNIBH, Belo Horizonte MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda F C
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais UFMG, Belo Horizonte Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcia M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA; Department of Human Science, School of Nursing and Health Studies, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Jason U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Tilan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Hongkun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA; Department of Medicine, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Jason G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Umans
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zukowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: jbk4@georgetown.edu.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kitlinska
mesh_terms: D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000097:blood*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor
keywords: Neuropeptide Y (NPY); Placental growth factor (PlGF); Preeclampsia; Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1); Stress; Vasoconstriction