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Published on: June 29, 2013
Expression and diagnostic value of plasma protein Z and protein Z-dependent protease inhibitor in fetal growth
Ci Pan1, Yulian Huang2, Xiaopei Guo2
1Prenatal Diagnosis Center, 3rd Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.
Insights
Plasma protein Z (PZ) and protein Z-dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI) levels are significantly lower in pregnancies affected by fetal growth restriction (FGR). These markers show diagnostic potential for FGR screening in pregnant women.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Reproductive Medicine
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a significant obstetric complication with serious implications for fetal well-being.
- Protein Z (PZ) and its inhibitor ZPI play roles in coagulation and may be implicated in pregnancy complications.
- Understanding the role of PZ and ZPI in FGR is crucial for developing diagnostic tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression levels of plasma PZ and ZPI in pregnancies complicated by FGR.
- To evaluate the diagnostic value of plasma PZ and ZPI levels for identifying FGR.
Main Methods:
- Plasma PZ and ZPI levels were measured using ELISA in three groups: FGR (n=79), healthy controls (HC, n=79), and non-pregnant controls (BC, n=60).
- Spearman analysis was used to assess correlations between PZ, ZPI, and FGR.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to evaluate diagnostic performance.
Main Results:
- Plasma PZ and ZPI levels were significantly decreased in both HC and FGR groups compared to the BC group (P < 0.001).
- Levels of PZ and ZPI were notably lower in the FGR group than in the HC group (P < 0.01).
- A combination of PZ and ZPI demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.92, sensitivity = 0.82, specificity = 0.88).
Conclusions:
- Plasma PZ and ZPI levels are significantly reduced in pregnant women with FGR.
- These decreased levels suggest that PZ and ZPI can serve as valuable biomarkers for FGR screening in pregnant populations.
Objectives:
Investigating the expression levels of plasma protein Z (PZ) and protein Z-dependent protease inhibitor (ZPI) in fetal growth restriction (FGR) and to explore their diagnostic value in FGR.
Material And Methods:
In this study, the number of pregnant women with FGR, healthy pregnant women (Healthy Control, HC), and childbearing-age women without pregnancy (Blank Control, BC) is 79, 79, and 60, respectively; their plasma PZ and ZPI levels in each group are determined by ELISAs. Then, the correlations between these indices and FGR were assessed using Spearman analysis. Moreover, these indices' diagnostic values for FGR are evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves.
Results:
The plasma levels of PZ and ZPI are significantly decreased in the HC and FGR groups compared against the BC group (P < 0.001), whilst the levels of PZ and ZPI in the FGR groups are lower than those in the HC group (P < 0.01) notably. PZ plasma concentration has positive relationship with ZPI concentrations in the HC and FGR groups. The combination of PZ and ZPI, with the Area under the Curve (AUC) 0.92 (95% CI = 0.88-0.96), the sensitivity 0.82, and the specificity 0.88, outperforms everyone.
Conclusions:
Plasma PZ and ZPI are significantly decreased in pregnant women with FGR, which can be used for pregnant women's FGR screening.
