Potential urinary biomarkers in preeclampsia: a narrative review

Preeclampsia (PE) is a highly relevant pregnancy-related disorder. An early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to prevent major maternal and neonatal complications and mortality. Due to the association of kidney dysfunction with the pathophysiology of the disease, urine samples have the potential to provide biomarkers for PE prediction, being minimally invasive and easy to perform. Therefore, searching for novel biomarkers may improve outcomes. This narrative review aimed to summarize the scientific literature about the traditional and potential urinary biomarkers in PE and to investigate their applicability to screen and diagnose the disorder.

A non-systematic search was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and SciELO databases.

There is significant divergence in the literature regarding traditionally used serum markers creatinine, cystatin C, and albuminuria, accuracy in PE prediction. As for the potential renal biomarkers investigated, including vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFlt-1), urinary levels of PlGF and sFtl-1/PlGF ratio in urine seem to be the most promising as screening tests. The assessment of the global load of misfolded proteins through urinary congophilia, podocyturia, and nephrinuria has also shown potential for screening and diagnosis. Studies regarding the use of proteomics and metabolomics have shown good accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity for predicting the development and severity of PE.

However, there are still many divergences in the literature, which requires future and more conclusive research to confirm the predictive role of urinary biomarkers in pregnant women with PE.