Angiogenic Imbalance as a Contributor of Preeclampsia

Abstract

Preeclampsia is one of the most serious pregnancy - specific medical conditions affecting 3- 6% of all gestations. It remains a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The aetiology of preeclampsia is not fully elucidated yet, although a huge progress has been made in its understanding within the last decade. Numerous studies have provided compelling evidence that an excess of some antiangiogenic molecules released by the placenta to maternal circulation, in particular soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin (sEng) and decreased levels of proangiogenic substances like placental growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) play a key role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. In this review, we report recent knowledge about possible predictive, diagnostic and therapeutic roles of these pro- and antiangiogenic biomarkers as well as analyzed the background of their use in these fields. Discoveries in the area of circulating factors of angiogenesis are exciting and give promising perspectives for future clinical management of preeclampsia. Currently, it can be difficult, especially in developing countries due to high cost of such studies.

Keywords: PlGF; Preeclampsia; VEGF; angiogenic factors; hypertension; pregnancy; sEng; sFlt-1..