Circulating levels of copeptin, a novel biomarker in pre-eclampsia

Increasing evidence supports the participation of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia. Copeptin is co-synthesized with vasopressin and is a new and promising novel marker of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Our aim was to investigate copeptin levels in normotensive pregnant, mild and severe pre-eclamptic women.

We included 96 pregnant women who received antenatal and obstetric care at the perinatology clinic of our hospital. They were divided into three groups: women with normal ongoing pregnancy (n=32), those with mild pre-eclampsia (n=32) and those with severe pre-eclampsia (n=32). Doppler velocimetry measurements of the uterine and umbilical arteries were performed for each patient. Plasma levels of copeptin were quantified with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Plasma levels of copeptin were 0.31±0.09 ng/mL in the normotensive pregnant group, 0.62±0.16 ng/mL in the mild pre-eclamptic group and 0.85±0.18 ng/mL in the severe pre-eclamptic group (P<0.001). Copeptin levels in pre-eclamptic patients with abnormal Doppler velocimetry were significantly higher than in those with normal Doppler velocimetry.

These results suggest that increased maternal levels of copeptin may be involved in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and it may be useful in the assessment of the severity of the disease.