Abstract
Circulating Biomarkers in Asthmatic PregnancyAndras Bikova, Aniko Bohacsa, Noemi Eszesa, Janos Rigob, Gyorgy Losonczya, Ildiko Horvathac & Lilla Tamasiapages 274-276AbstractAbstractBackground/Aims: Asthma is one of the most common disorders which may complicate pregnancy. Because of the complex immunological interrelation between the mother and foetus, asthma during gestation represents a distinct inflammatory phenotype. However, its pathophysiology is not fully known. Elevated levels of vasculogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), anti-apoptotic survivin and elements of complement system were previously reported in induced sputum samples in non-pregnant asthmatics. We aimed to analyse these markers in systemic samples in order to have a better picture on asthma during gestation. Methods: 31 asthmatic pregnant (AP), 28 healthy pregnant (HP), 29 asthmatic non-pregnant (ANP) and 29 healthy non-pregnant (HNP) women were enrolled. In addition to lung function and exhaled nitric oxide measurements, venous blood was collected in EDTA tubes for VEGF, survivin, complement 5a (C5a) and complement H factor (CHF) analyses which were performed with commercially available ELISA kits. Results: Plasma VEGF and survivin levels were significantly lower, while CHF levels were elevated in pregnancy (p < 0.05) without any difference between asthma and health (p > 0.05). In contrast, circulating C5a levels were higher in AP compared to all other groups with a significant relationship with FEV1 (r = −0.44, p = 0.04). Conclusions: Pregnancy itself alters the levels of circulating vasculogenic, anti-apoptotic and complement markers, but these are only markedly influenced by asthma. These results suggest that asthma-related inflammatory processes are mainly localised in the airways. To understand the background of asthmatic pregnancy further studies with exhaled breath measurements are required, as other potentially harmful techniques (i.e. BAL or induced sputum) cannot be performed during gestation. The study was supported by Hungarian Scientific Fund (OTKA 68808) and Hungarian Respiratory Society.
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