Serum Levels of Angiopoietin-Related Growth Factor Are Increased in Preeclampsia

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia is a serious complication in pregnancy with an increased future cardiovascular and metabolic risk for both mother and newborn. Recently, angiopoietin-related growth factor (AGF) was introduced as a novel liver-derived protein with proangiogenic and insulin-sensitizing effects. In the current study, we hypothesized that serum levels of AGF would be lower in preeclamptic patients as compared to healthy controls. METHODS AGF was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in control and preeclamptic patients during pregnancy (Control: n =22, Preeclampsia: n =22) and 6 months after delivery (Control: n = 20, Preeclampsia: n =20). Furthermore, circulating AGF was correlated to clinical and biochemical measures of renal function, glucose, and lipid metabolism, as well as inflammation. RESULTS During pregnancy, median maternal AGF concentrations were significantly higher in preeclampsia (191.6 mu g/l) as compared to control subjects (136.3 mu g/l) (P = 0.004). Furthermore, preeclampsia and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were associated with AGF levels in multivariate analyses independent of maternal age. However, higher circulating AGF concentrations in preeclampsia did not persist 6 months after delivery. CONCLUSIONS Maternal AGF serum levels are significantly and paradoxically higher in preeclampsia during pregnancy. However, median postpartum circulating AGF levels are similar in preeclampsia and normal pregnancies.