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Lipidomic signatures in patients with early-onset and late-onset Preeclampsia
Yu Huang1, Qiaoqiao Sun1, Beibei Zhou1
1Department of Obstetrics, Women's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital, 123rd Tianfei Street, Mochou Road, Nanjing, 210004, China.
Insights
Lipid metabolism differs in preeclampsia, with specific lipids potentially diagnosing early-onset (EOPE) and late-onset (LOPE) forms. These biomarkers correlate with clinical severity, aiding in preeclampsia management.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Metabolomics
- Obstetrics
Background:
- Preeclampsia is a pregnancy complication with distinct early-onset (EOPE) and late-onset (LOPE) forms.
- Aberrant lipid metabolism is observed in patients with preeclampsia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare serum lipid profiles in normal pregnant women, EOPE, and LOPE.
- To identify potential biomarkers for diagnosing EOPE and LOPE.
Main Methods:
- Serum lipid profiles were analyzed using untargeted lipidomics via ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
- Participants included 20 normal pregnant controls (NC), 19 EOPE, and 19 LOPE patients.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in lipid metabolism were found among NC, EOPE, and LOPE groups.
- 256 distinct lipids were identified in EOPE and 275 in LOPE compared to NC.
- A combination of five specific lipids (DGTS, LPC, LPE, PC) showed high diagnostic power for distinguishing EOPE and LOPE from controls.
Conclusions:
- Lipid metabolism disorders are implicated in preeclampsia pathogenesis.
- Identified lipid metabolites show potential as diagnostic biomarkers for EOPE and LOPE.
- These lipid biomarkers correlate with clinical indicators such as fetal birth weight and maternal urine protein levels.
Background:
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific clinical syndrome and can be subdivided into early-onset preeclampsia (EOPE) and late-onset preeclampsia (LOPE) according to the gestational age of delivery. Patients with preeclampsia have aberrant lipid metabolism. This study aims to compare serum lipid profiles of normal pregnant women with EOPE or LOPE and screening potential biomarkers to diagnose EOPE or LOPE.
Methods:
Twenty normal pregnant controls (NC), 19 EOPE, and 19 LOPE were recruited in this study. Untargeted lipidomics based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to compare their serum lipid profiles.
Results:
The lipid metabolism profiles significantly differ among the NC, EOPE, and LOPE. Compared to the NC, there were 256 and 275 distinct lipids in the EOPE and LOPE, respectively. Furthermore, there were 42 different lipids between the LOPE and EOPE, of which eight were significantly associated with fetal birth weight and maternal urine protein. The five lipids that both differed in the EOPE and LOPE were DGTS (16:3/16:3), LPC (20:3), LPC (22:6), LPE (22:6), PC (18:5e/4:0), and a combination of them were a potential biomarker for predicting EOPE or LOPE. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the diagnostic power of the combination for distinguishing the EOPE from the NC and for distinguishing the LOPE from the NC can reach 1.000 and 0.992, respectively. The association between the lipid modules and clinical characteristics of EOPE and LOPE was investigated by the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). The results demonstrated that the main different metabolism pathway between the EOPE and LOPE was enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism.
Conclusions:
Lipid metabolism disorders may be a potential mechanism of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Lipid metabolites have the potential to serve as biomarkers in patients with EOPE or LOPE. Furthermore, lipid metabolites correlate with clinical severity indicators for patients with EOPE and LOPE, including fetal birth weight and maternal urine protein levels.
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