Levels of serum Hoxb3 and sFlt‐1 in pre‐eclamptic patients and their effects on pregnancy outcomes

Abstract

Aim: We aimed to explore a new approach and theoretical basis for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of pre-eclampsia. Methods: In total, 103 pre-eclamptic patients (study group: SG) and 100 healthy pregnant women (control group: CG) were enrolled. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression level of serum Hoxb3. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the content of serum sFlt-1. Pregnancy outcomes in the two groups were recorded, and the correlations of the levels of Hoxb3 and sFlt-1 with the pregnancy outcomes were analyzed. Results: The relative expression of serum Hoxb3 mRNA in the CG was significantly higher than that in the SG, whereas the content of serum sFlt-1 in the CG was significantly lower than that in the SG. Compared with the CG, the SG had a significantly lower number of spontaneous deliveries, higher number of cesarean deliveries and significantly higher number of uneventful perinatal births. The incidences of intrauterine growth restriction, intrauterine distress, premature infants and neonatal deaths in perinatal infants in the SG were significantly higher than those in the CG. According to the analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves, the areas under the curves of Hoxb3, sFlt-1 and their combined detection for diagnosing preeclampsia were 0.799, 0.856 and 0.930, respectively. The areas under the curves for predicting poor perinatal outcomes were 0.724, 0.828 and 0.871, respectively. Conclusion: In conclusion, Hoxb3 and sFlt-1 have certain reference significance for the risk evaluation of pre-eclampsia and the adverse pregnancy outcomes of pre-eclampsia women.

Clinical tools and biomarkers to predict preeclampsia

“…39 While the reduction was subtle, resulting in modest predictive ability, Adm may have clinical utility if combined with other molecules. Evidence that mRNA biomarkers could improve prediction if combined with proteins was demonstrated by Zhou et al 51 A combination of Hoxb3 with sFlt-1 resulted in greater area under the Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) than either biomarker alone, but a major limitation is that samples were collected following diagnosis. Thus, the true predictive capacity of Hoxb3 with sFlt-1 requires validation.…”

Investigation of HoxB3 and Growth Factors Expression in Placentas of Various Gestational Ages

“…The development and growth of the fetus are determined by the exchange of nutrients through the placenta during pregnancy. HoxB3 is a major regulator of angiogenesis [ 19 ], which makes us speculate that HoxB3 may impact placental status and, therefore, fetal growth, too.…”

“…In addition, a decrease of HoxB3 might inhibit the invasion of trophoblast cells [ 6 ]. HoxB3 has a certain significance for the risk evaluation of pre-eclampsia [ 19 ]. HoxB3 promotes invasive behaviour of endothelial cells in response to angiogenic stimulation [ 1 ] and is required for the morphogenesis of new capillary tubes [ 20 ].…”

MicroRNA-125b as a Preeclampsia Biomarker

“…[35] In pregnancy hypertensive disorder patients, studies showed a significant increase in miRNA-1233 expression that suppresses the expression levels of HoxB3-major regulator of angiogenesis-which leads to proliferation and trophoblast cells invasion decrease in placental tissue from pregnancy hypertensive disorder patient. [35,36] Another three preeclampsia rodent model studies show elevated miR-210 in part driven by HIF-1α and NF-κBp50, induced by hypoxia and/or immune-mediated processes may contribute in preeclampsia by inhibiting anti-inflammatory Th2-cytokines. [37] miRNA125b as Biomarker Third Trimester of Pregnancy Hypertensive Disorder miR-125b in pregnant women can be detected from several different sites, the plasma from the mother, where it is often called the maternal circulating miR-125b and the placental cells, where it is called as placental miR-125b.…”