Increased visfatin and leptin in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia

To evaluate the role of the adipokines, visfatin and leptin in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia and how their concentrations correlate with the severity of the disease and abnormal Doppler velocimetry.

A cross-sectional study was carried out in 72 pregnant women (30 patients with mild pre-eclampsia, 20 patients with severe pre-eclampsia and 22 healthy normotensive pregnant women) during the third trimester of pregnancy. The maternal levels of plasma visfatin and serum leptin were determined in all cases by enzyme immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. The uterine artery and umbilical artery RI were determined by Doppler analysis in all cases.

Plasma visfatin levels and serum leptin levels were higher in patients with pre-eclampsia than in the normotensive pregnant women. Six patients with mild pre-eclampsia and five patients with severe pre-eclampsia had abnormal Doppler velocimetry. Visfatin and leptin levels of pre-eclamptic patients with abnormal Doppler velocimetry were significantly higher than they were in those with normal Doppler velocimetry. Serum leptin levels were positively correlated with plasma visfatin level in cases of pre-eclampsia.

These findings suggest that increased maternal levels of leptin and visfatin may be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, and measurement of these adipokines may be useful in assessment of the severity of disease.