Alarmin high mobility group box-1 in maternal serum as a potential biomarker of chorioamnionitis-associated preterm birth

Abstract

Chorioamnionitis is associated with an increased risk of spontaneous preterm birth. The aim of this study was to investigate the serum levels of high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) in pregnancies with histological chorioamnionitis (HCA)-associated preterm labor (PTL) with intact membranes or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), and to access the role of serum HMGB1 in HCA and HCA-associated PTL. A total of 190 pregnant women were enrolled in this study: PLT patients with (n = 28) or without HCA (n = 36), PPROM patients with (n = 26) or without HCA (n = 65), and non-HCA PTL controls (n = 35). Maternal serum levels of HMGB1 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum HMGB1 levels were significantly higher in PTL or PPROM patients than in control group (p < 0.01, respectively). The PPROM patients also exhibited higher serum HMGB1 levels compared to PTL patients (p = 0.015). HCA patients were characterized by significantly increased levels of serum HMGB1 when compared with non-HCA patients (p < 0.01). Therefore, maternal serum HMGB1 may become a potential biomarker of HCA and HCA-associated PTL.