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Published on: January 26, 2024
Differences in Cardiometabolic Proteins in Pregnancy Prioritize Relevant Targets of Preeclampsia
Kathryn J Lindley1,2, Andrew Perry1, Marni Jacobs3
1Vanderbilt Translational and Clinical Research Center, Cardiovascular Division (K.J.L., A.P., K.A., S.Z., K.T., J.E.F., R.V.S.), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
Insights
Preeclampsia involves vascular inflammation and poses risks to mothers and babies. This study identified novel cardiovascular biomarkers in plasma that could predict preeclampsia and its complications.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular biology
- Reproductive medicine
- Proteomics
Background:
- Preeclampsia is a serious hypertensive disorder of pregnancy with significant maternal and fetal risks.
- Widespread vascular inflammation characterizes preeclampsia, often occurring without clear risk factors.
- Predictive biomarkers for preeclampsia and its cardiovascular sequelae are critically needed for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in cardiovascular proteomic profiles in pregnant individuals with and without preeclampsia.
- To identify novel plasma biomarkers associated with preeclampsia pathophysiology.
Main Methods:
- Cardiovascular proteomics analysis using the Olink Explore 384 platform.
- Study included 256 diverse pregnant individuals across two centers.
- Comparison of proteomic profiles between individuals delivering with preeclampsia and controls.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in plasma protein abundance related to angiogenesis, blood pressure, cell adhesion, inflammation, and metabolism were found between preeclampsia cases and controls.
- Several novel biomarkers not previously described or represented in the placental transcriptome were identified.
- Early-onset preeclampsia showed distinct dysregulation of proteins involved in hemodynamic stress, hemostasis, and immune response compared to late-onset preeclampsia.
Conclusions:
- Targeted proteomics effectively identified cardiovascular biomarkers relevant to preeclampsia.
- These findings underscore the need for larger multiomic studies to develop surveillance and intervention strategies.
- Identifying biomarkers upstream of diagnosis could enable earlier prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Background:
Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by widespread vascular inflammation. It occurs frequently in pregnancy, often without known risk factors, and has high rates of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Identification of biomarkers that predict preeclampsia and its cardiovascular sequelae before clinical onset, or even before pregnancy, is a critical unmet need for the prevention of adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Methods:
We explored differences in cardiovascular proteomics (Olink Explore 384) in 256 diverse pregnant persons across 2 centers (26% Hispanic, 21% Black).
Results:
We identified significant differences in plasma abundance of markers associated with angiogenesis, blood pressure, cell adhesion, inflammation, and metabolism between individuals delivering with preeclampsia and controls, some of which have not been widely described previously and are not represented in the preeclampsia placental transcriptome. While we observed a broadly similar pattern in early (<34 weeks) versus late (≥34 weeks) preeclampsia, several proteins related to hemodynamic stress, hemostasis, and immune response appeared to be more highly dysregulated in early preeclampsia relative to late preeclampsia.
Conclusions:
These results demonstrate the value of performing targeted proteomics using a panel of cardiovascular biomarkers to identify biomarkers relevant to preeclampsia pathophysiology and highlight the need for larger multiomic studies to define modifiable pathways of surveillance and intervention upstream to preeclampsia diagnosis.
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