Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) levels in healthy pregnancy and preeclampsia.

BACKGROUND

Preeclampsia is characterized by a maternal systemic inflammatory response and the impairment of maternal immune tolerance present in healthy pregnancy. Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a biomarker increasingly used for the monitoring of systemic inflammation. We aimed to assess the levels of suPAR and other markers of systemic inflammation in preeclampsia compared to healthy pregnancy.

METHODS

We determined plasma suPAR, IL-6 and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in plasma samples of 62 healthy pregnant and 41 preeclamptic women in the third trimester of pregnancy.

RESULTS

Plasma suPAR levels were elevated in preeclampsia [3.18 (2.30-4.71) ng/mL vs. 2.02 (1.81-2.40) ng/mL, p=0.0001, median (interquartile range)]. IL-6 and hs-CRP levels were also higher compared with healthy pregnancy [5.99 (2.97-18.12) pg/mL vs. 1.41 (1.00-2.70) pg/mL, p=0.0001 and 6.60 (3.55-15.40) mg/L vs. 3.90 (2.10-7.25) mg/L, p=0.006, respectively, median (interquartile range)]. Linear regression analyses revealed an association between individual plasma suPAR and log IL-6 levels as well as log hs-CRP levels.

CONCLUSIONS

suPAR levels are elevated in preeclampsia and vary in a narrower range compared with IL-6 and hs-CRP. ROC analysis indicated that monitoring of suPAR levels is a suitable tool for the detection of systemic inflammation in pregnancy.