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Published on: June 29, 2013
Evaluation of maternal serum sestrin-2 levels in intrauterine growth restriction
Merve Ozturk Agaoglu1, Zahid Agaoglu2, Kadriye Yakut Yucel2
1Department of Perinatology, Turkish Ministry of Health Ankara City Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. drmerveoz@gmail.com.
Background:
Sestrin-2 (SESN2) is a antioxidant protein that can be activated by a number of conditions, including DNA damage and hypoxia.
Aims:
Our objective was to evaluate maternal serum SESN2 levels in patients with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and its association with adverse perinatal outcomes.
Methods:
This prospective study included a total of 87 pregnant women admitted to our tertiary care center between 2018 August and 2019 July. The study group consisted of a total of 44 patients who had been diagnosed with IUGR. Forty-three low-risk and gestational age-matched pregnant women were taken as control group. Demographic data, maternal serum SESN2 levels, and maternal-neonatal outcomes were evaluated. SESN2 levels were analyzed by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method and compared between groups.
Results:
Maternal serum SESN2 levels were significantly higher in the IUGR group compared to control group (22.38 ng/ml vs. 13.0 ng/ml, p < 0.001). In correlation analysis, a negative significant correlation was found between SESN2 levels and gestational week at delivery (r = - 0.387, p < 0.001). The ideal cut-off value for detecting IUGR was 9.5 ng/ml, and the area under the curve was 0.719 (95%CI: 0.610-0.827). Birth interval, gestational week at birth, birth weight, and 1-5-min Apgar scores were lower in the IUGR group (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Maternal serum SESN2 levels are elevated in IUGR and are associated with adverse neonatal outcome. Considering that SESN2 is involved in pathogenesis, it can be used as a new marker for the evaluation of IUGR.
