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. 2010 Jun;202(6):550.e1-10.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2010.04.002.

A decrease in maternal plasma concentrations of sVEGFR-2 precedes the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia

Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa  1 , Roberto Romero, Adi L Tarca, Juan Pedro Kusanovic, Francesca Gotsch, Pooja Mittal, Sun Kwon Kim, Edi Vaisbuch, Shali Mazaki-Tovi, Offer Erez, Zhong Dong, Chong Jai Kim, Lami Yeo, Sonia S Hassan
Affiliations

A decrease in maternal plasma concentrations of sVEGFR-2 precedes the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia

Tinnakorn Chaiworapongsa et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

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.

Study design: 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).

Conclusion: A lower maternal plasma sVEGFR-2 concentration precedes the development of preeclampsia, both term and preterm.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Plasma concentrations (Log10 +1) of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) estimated from mixed-effect model plotted against the observed plasma sVEGFR-2 concentrations (R2= 0.75).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Profiles of plasma soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) concentration in relation to gestational age in normal pregnant women (control) and patients with preeclampsia. Patients destined to developed preeclampsia had a significantly different profile (plasma concentration over time) of plasma sVEGFR-2 concentration from patients with normal pregnancies after adjusting for gestational age at blood sampling, maternal age, body mass index, nulliparous status, a history of preeclampsia, smoking and duration of sample storage (p=0.047). Plasma sVEGFR-2 concentration was lower in patients with preeclampsia than in normal pregnant women from approximately 16-20 weeks of gestation and more pronounce as term approached.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Individual changes in maternal plasma concentration (Log10 +1) of soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (sVEGFR-2) in normal pregnant women (n=160) and patients destined to develop preeclampsia (n=40) as a function of gestational age (GA).
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