Increased placental sFlt-1 but unchanged PlGF expression in late-onset preeclampsia

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate whether differences between late-onset preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can be explained by differential placental expression patters of sFlt-1, Flt-1, and placental growth factor (PlGF).

Methods: Placental tissues and maternal blood samples from seven patients with PE, five IUGR, and seven age-matched controls were studied for mRNA and protein levels as well as protein localization and expression intensity.

Results: Placental PlGF mRNA and protein expression were not altered by placental dysfunction while placental villous trophoblast expression intensity of PlGF was increased.

Conclusion: High sFlt-1 concentrations may account for diminished maternal serum PlGF levels.

KEYWORDS:

• Preeclampsia
• intra uterine growth restriction
• placental growth factor
• PlGF
• souble fms-like tyrosine kinase
• sFlt1

Acknowledgments

We are thankful for excellent technical assistance from Thomas Ziska, Kerstin Melchior, and Loreen Ehrlich from Charité – Virchow Clinic, Berlin, Germany.

Funding

S. Verlohren reports having received consulting fees from Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher, Ferring and Novartis, lecture fees from Roche Diagnostics and Thermo Fisher, and grant support from Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher and Novartis.

Supplemental material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

S. Verlohren reports having received consulting fees from Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher, Ferring and Novartis, lecture fees from Roche Diagnostics and Thermo Fisher, and grant support from Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher and Novartis.