Adiponectin and leptin, two adipose-tissue-derived proteins, have been reported to be elevated in women with established PE (pre-eclampsia). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether alterations in adiponectin and leptin levels predate the development of PE and FGR (fetal growth restriction) in women at increased risk of these complications, as assessed by Doppler examination of the uterine arteries during the second trimester of pregnancy. We also sought to investigate the circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin in women with established severe early-onset FGR. The study included three groups of pregnant women at 23–25 weeks: Group A (n=44) with normal uterine artery Doppler waveforms, Group B (n=49) with abnormal Doppler waveforms and normal fetal growth at the time of the examination, and Group C (n=15) with established severe FGR and abnormal Doppler waveforms. All women had plasma adiponectin and leptin measured by sensitive immunoassays. In Group B, 19 women had a normal outcome, 17 delivered infants with FGR and 13 developed PE. The women who developed PE delivered smaller babies earlier than women with a normal outcome (P<0.001). There were no significant differences in adiponectin levels between any of the groups (overall P=0.3). Leptin concentrations, expressed as MoM (multiples of the median) of Group A, were higher in women in Group C, i.e. established severe FGR at 2.5 (1.2–2.7) MoMs (overall P<0.001), compared with all of the other groups and subgroups. In conclusion, we found that, in pregnancies complicated by severe early-onset FGR, the maternal plasma concentration of leptin is twice as high as in normal pregnancies. However, the second trimester levels of maternal plasma adiponectin and leptin in pregnancies that subsequently develop PE and/or FGR are not significantly different from normal and, consequently, it is unlikely that these markers will be useful as predictors of these pregnancy complications.
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October 2008
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Research Article|
September 03 2008
Circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin at 23–25 weeks of pregnancy in women with impaired placentation and in those with established fetal growth restriction
Makrina D. Savvidou
;
*Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8RS, U.K.
Correspondence: Dr Makrina D. Savvidou (msavvidou@dsla.ndo.co.uk).
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Alexandros Sotiriadis
;
Alexandros Sotiriadis
*Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8RS, U.K.
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Christine Kaihura
;
Christine Kaihura
*Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8RS, U.K.
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Kypros H. Nicolaides
;
Kypros H. Nicolaides
*Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8RS, U.K.
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Naveed Sattar
Naveed Sattar
†Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Vascular Biochemistry, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G4 0SF, U.K.
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Clin Sci (Lond) (2008) 115 (7): 219–224.
Article history
Received:
November 19 2007
Revision Received:
January 03 2008
Accepted:
January 23 2008
Accepted Manuscript online:
January 23 2008
Citation
Makrina D. Savvidou, Alexandros Sotiriadis, Christine Kaihura, Kypros H. Nicolaides, Naveed Sattar; Circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin at 23–25 weeks of pregnancy in women with impaired placentation and in those with established fetal growth restriction. Clin Sci (Lond) 1 October 2008; 115 (7): 219–224. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/CS20070409
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