Evaluation of physiological alterations of the placenta through analysis of cell-free messenger ribonucleic acid concentrations of angiogenic factors

• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajog.2007.06.079
• Publication Date: 2008-01-02T22:32:33Z
• Authors: Yuditiya Purwosunu; Akihiko Sekizawa; Antonio Farina; Noroyono Wibowo; Keiko Koide; Shiho Okazaki; Masamitsu Nakamura; Takashi Okai
• Keywords: Adult; 0301 basic medicine; Adolescent; Placenta; Risk Assessment; Sensitivity and Specificity; Severity of Illness Index; Statistics, Nonparametric; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Pre-Eclampsia; Pregnancy; Reference Values; Humans; RNA, Messenger; Probability; Middle Aged; Case-Control Studies; Disease Progression; RNA; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; Female; Biomarkers

Placental messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) has been shown to circulate in maternal plasma. We investigated concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor-1 (VEGFR-1), and endoglin in subjects with preeclampsia, compared with normal pregnancies.Peripheral blood samples were obtained from preeclampsia (n = 43) and control subjects (n = 41). Plasma ribonucleic acid was subjected to analysis by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay to examine the mRNA distribution among women with preeclampsia and control subjects during weeks 35-41 of gestation.Concentrations of VEGF, VEGFR-1, and endoglin mRNA of women with preeclampsia were significantly increased. The mRNA values were observed to correlate directly with the severity of hypertension and proteinuria. VEGFR-1 mRNA was markedly elevated in women with preeclampsia and hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet syndrome.The mRNA concentrations of VEGF, VEGFR-1, and endoglin were observed to correlate directly with the severity of preeclampsia.