Plasma level of soluble c-Met is tightly associated with the clinical risk of preeclampsia

Abstract

The objective of the study was to examine the relevance of the soluble form c-Met (sMet) with the clinical risk for severe preeclampsia. This prospective case-control study was performed by using plasma derived from 44 preeclamptic and 51 uncomplicated pregnant women. Plasma concentration of sMet was measured with specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the predictive values were determined based on the receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis. Plasma s-Met level in normal pregnant women changed in a gestation-dependent manner, peaking at weeks 19-24. In women with severe preeclampsia, the circulating sMet level was significantly lower than that in the gestational stage-matched controls during gestational weeks 15-30. The ROC curve analysis revealed a significant correlation between plasma sMet level and the risk of developing severe preeclampsia. Plasma sMet could serve as a potential biomarker for predicting severe preeclampia at early second trimester of pregnancy.