The significance of the ratio of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1/placenta growth factor for predicting development of preeclampsia

Objective To detect the levels of serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1(sFlt-1) and placenta growth factor(PLGF) during the second trimester in the serum of women in normal pregnancy and women who subsequently develop preeclampsia,and investigate the role of sFlt-1/PLGF ratio as an early marker for the development of preeclampsia.Methods The serum levels of PLGF and sFlt-1 in 200 healthy pregnant women and 57 women with preeclampsia were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The ratio of sFlt-1/PLGF was calculated.Results The serum sFlt-1 levels were significantly higher in the women with preeclampsia [(1 385.0±178.8)ng/L] than in healthy controls [(1 087.3±122.7)ng/L](P0.01).The PLGF levels were significantly lower in the women with preeclampsia [(501.9±86.3)ng/L] than in healthy controls [(712.7±103.6)ng/L](P0.01).In the women with preeclampsia,sFlt-1 levels were negatively correlated with PLGF(r =-0.629,P0.01),and in healthy controls,there were positively correlations between the PLGF and sFlt-1 levels(r =0.682,P0.01).In the second trimester,the ratio of sFlt-1/PLGF was 1.9,and its sensitivity and specificity were 89.5% and 97.5%.Conclusions Preeclampsia showes a strong association with increased levels of sFlt-1 and decreased levels of PLGF in the second trimester.The sFlt-1/PLGF ratio may be an early marker for the development of preeclampsia.