Expression and significance of PLGF and sFlt-1 in maternal serum and placenta of patients with preeclampsia

Objective To investigate the role of expressions of placenta growth factor(PLGF) and soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1(sFlt-1) in maternal serum and placenta in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.Methods With ELISA,RT-PCR and Western blot methods,the expressions of PLGF and sFlt-1 and their mRNAs in maternal serum and placenta were detected in 31 patients with mild preeclampsia(group A1),26 cases with severe preeclampsia(group A2) and 200 cases with normal pregnance(group B).Results Maternal serum PLGF levels during all pregnant periods were significantly lower in groups of A1 and A2 than those in group B(P0.01).The levels of maternal plasma sFlt-1 were significantly higher in groups of A1 and A2 than those in group B during the 21st to 41st pregnant weeks(P0.01).The ratio of serum sFlt-1/PlGF was significantly higher in groups of A1 and A2 than that in group B(P0.01).In the placenta,the expressions of PLGF and PLGF mRNA were lower,but those of sFlt-1 and sFlt-1 mRNA were higher,in groups of A1 and A2 than those in group B(P0.01).Serum PLGF level in groups of A1 and A2 was negatively correlated to sFlt-1(r=-0.49,r=-0.53,P0.05).Conclusion The changes of sFlt-1 and PlGF in maternal serum and placenta are associated with the occurrence and development of preeclampsia.