LOW SERUM PLACENTAL ISOFERRITIN IN PREGNANT-WOMEN AT RISK OF DEVELOPING PREECLAMPSIA

Objectives: Placental isoferritin (PLF) is an immunosuppressive cytoki ne-like protein; low concentrations have been found in women with pree clampsia. In this study, the possible involvement of this placental pr oduct in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia was investigated. Serum PLF was measured in pregnant women at risk of developing preeclampsia, bef ore the onset of the clinical disorder. Design: Two hundred thirty-one women were included in the study: 85 were at risk of developing preec lampsia and 146 were low-risk controls. Levels of PLF were measured in the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Results: Mean ( +/- SEM) third-trimester serum PLF values were significantly lower in the study group (14.8 +/- 3.9 U/mL) compared with those of the control s (19.0 +/- 2.6 U/mL, p = 0.0001). Lower PLF values were also observed in the first and second trimesters, but these results did not reach c onventional significance. Furthermore, serum PLF values were not signi ficantly lower in the study group women who developed preeclampsia whe n compared with those who did not. Low serum PLF values were also obse rved in women with intrauterine-growth-restricted pregnancies, but, ag ain, these results did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Low serum PLF values may reflect placental function and represent a p ossible predictive biomarker for developing preeclampsia in pregnant w omen at risk.