Asymmetric dimethylarginine in normotensive pregnant women with isolated fetal intrauterine growth restriction: a comparison with preeclamptic women with and without intrauterine growth restriction

Abstract

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate maternal asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) levels in pregnancies complicated by isolated fetal intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), in preeclamptic pregnancies with and without IUGR, and in healthy normotensive pregnant women with proper weight fetuses.

Patients and methods. The study was carried out on 54 normotensive pregnant patients with pregnancy complicated by IUGR, 35 patients with IUGR in the course of preeclampsia, 29 preeclamptic patients with appropriate-for-gestational-age weight infants and 54 healthy normotensive pregnant patients. The ADMA concentrations were evaluated using an ELISA assay.

Results. The preeclamptic women and normotensive patients with pregnancy complicated by isolated IUGR revealed higher levels of maternal serum ADMA. The mean values of maternal serum ADMA were 0.5730 ± 0.1769 μmol/l in the P group, 0.5727 ± 0.1756 μmol/l in the PI group, 0.6129 ± 0.1517 μmol/l in the IUGR group, and 0.5017 ± 0.1116 μmol/l in the control group. The levels of ADMA were additionally higher in the patients with HELLP syndrome and in patients with pregnancy complicated by eclampsia.

Conclusions. It seems that ADMA is an active agent not only in preeclamptic patients, but also in normotensive pregnant women with isolated fetal IUGR and could be a marker of severity of preeclampsia.

Keywords:

• Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA)
• intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR)
• preeclampsia

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by a research grant from the Polish State Committee for scientific Research (KBN grant Nr PBZ-MeiN-8/2/2006 – K140/P01/2007/1.3.2.5).

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