Angiopoietin-2: A Promising Indicator for the Occurrence of Severe Preeclampsia

Author： Han Soo Yeon Jun Jong Kwan Lee Cha-Hui Park Joong Shin Syn Hee Chul

ISSN： 1064-1955

Source： Hypertension in Pregnancy, Vol.31, Iss.1, 2012-02, pp. : 189-199

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Abstract

Background. The known connection between placental hypoxia and the development of preeclampsia suggests that angiogenic factors in the placenta would be changed and affect the maternal and//or umbilical cord plasma levels in patients with preeclampsia. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the difference and correlation of placental mRNA expression and maternal//umbilical cord plasma concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), angiopoietin-1, and angiopoietin-2 between women with severe preeclampsia and normal pregnancies. Methods. Sixteen patients with severe preeclampsia and 29 normotensive pregnant women were studied. The placental mRNA expression was assessed using real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Maternal//umbilical cord plasma levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay. Nonparametric methods were applied for statistical analysis. Results. Placental mRNA expression of angiopoietin-2 was significantly increased in patients with severe preeclampsia (p < 0.001). The maternal plasma angiopoietin-2 protein level was also significantly increased in women with severe preeclampsia (p < 0.05) and showed a positive correlation with the placental mRNA expression of angiopoietin-2 (r == 0.54, p < 0.005). For VEGF-A and angiopoietin-1, there were no significant differences between the two groups. A maternal plasma angiopoietin-2 concentration of 8.4 ng//mL had a sensitivity of 63%% and a specificity of 83%% for predicting severe preeclampsia. Conclusion. Placental angiopoietin-2 mRNA expression was increased and correlated with the maternal plasma angiopoietin-2 protein concentration in women with severe preeclampsia. This suggests that the plasma angiopoietin-2 protein level may be a candidate marker for severe preeclampsia.