Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are one of the important regulators of cellular functions fundamental for healthy pregnancy processes, including angiogenesis and differentiation of trophoblast cells, and their deregulation could be implicated in the pathogenesis of pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia (PE). The aim of this study was to assess the association of miRNA expression in plasma samples with PE, its onset, and severity. Our study enrolled 59 pregnant women, 27 in the preeclamptic study group and 32 in the control group with physiological pregnancy. Preeclamptic pregnancies were divided into subgroups based on the severity and onset of disease. Relative expression of miR-21-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-210-5p, miR-16-5p, and miR-650 isolated from plasma samples was analysed by quantitative real-time PCR and normalised to experimentally established reference genes. Our results revealed upregulation of miR-21-5p (1.16-fold change, p = 0.0015), miR-155-5p (1.62-fold change, p = 0.0005) in preeclamptic pregnancies, compared to controls. Overexpression of these two miRNAs was observed, especially in subgroups of severe and late-onset PE compared to healthy pregnancies. Although we hypothesised that the expression level of studied miRNAs could vary between PE subtypes (mild vs. severe, early onset vs. late-onset), no obvious differences were detected. In conclusion, our study could contribute to the large-scale studies for the identification of non-invasive biomarkers for PE detection to improve outcomes for women and their new-borns.
Highlights
Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most severe pregnancy complications that poses a risk to both mother and baby
The pathophysiology of PE remains unclear, but it is assumed that it has a multifactorial character and a critical role in its development plays an abnormal process of placentation and defects in placenta function, leading to reduced placental perfusion and hypoxia [6,7]
From a molecular point of view, deregulation of critical cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis, is associated with improper placental development and function during pregnancy that leads to gestational complications
Summary
Preeclampsia (PE) is one of the most severe pregnancy complications that poses a risk to both mother and baby. This multisystem disorder affects approximately 5–8% of pregnancies, usually after the 20th gestational week, and is a leading cause of maternal and foetal mortality and morbidity [1]. Onset PE, occurring before the 33rd gestational week, represents a minority of cases but is associated with a higher risk of complications for the mother and her baby, compared to PE with late-onset [4,5]. [8,9] All of these processes are modulated by physiological, genetic, environmental, and epigenetic factors, and their deregulation is associated with PE development and other pregnancy-related complications
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