Soluble urinary somatic angiotensin converting enzyme is overexpressed in patients with preeclampsia: a potential new marker for the disease?

ABSTRACT

Objective

The aim of this study was to identify and quantify urinary Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme (ACE) in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Methods

Urine samples were analyzed by Western blot. Patients were classified into: normotensive pregnancy (N); preeclampsia and superimposed preeclampsia (PE+SPE); and gestational hypertension (GH).

Results

Somatic ACE protein expression was higher in PE+SPE compared to N and GH. There was a positive correlation between ACE and urinary protein to creatinine ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Conclusion

These results indicate ACE overexpression in the urine of preeclamptic patients and suggest that it may be a new marker for the disease.

KEYWORDS:

• Preeclampsia
• hypertensive pregnancy disorder
• renin angiotensin aldosterone system
• angiotensin converting enzyme

Disclosure statement

No potential conflicts of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/10641955.2022.2115060

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, under Grant [HL136348 (VDG)].