A Mass Spectrometric Multicenter Study Supports Classification of Preeclampsia as Heterogeneous Disorder

Abstract

Objective. The diagnostic value of affinity-based matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis to distinguish preeclampsia (PE) from matched controls was tested in a multicenter setting. Methods. Serum samples of preeclamptic (n = 60) and healthy pregnant women (n = 66) from four centers were prospectively analyzed with predefined rule sets. Results. Overall sample classification reached sensitivity of 0.88 and specificity of 0.73. Separate calculations for early-onset PEs only (before 34 weeks of gestation) revealed sensitivity of 0.88 and specificity of 0.89. Conclusion. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry serum-profiling with center-wise standardization offers a fast and robust method to classify PE and contributes to the theory of PE being a heterogeneous disorder that ought to be subclassified.

• Preeclampsia
• Multicenter study
• MALDI-ToF MS
• Proteome signature
• Multiparametric profiling

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by grants from the University of Rostock and the University of Aachen. We express our thanks to Dr. C. Koy for valuable methodological help. Mrs. M. Sieb and F. Seidenspinner are acknowledged for excellent technical assistance.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.