Elevated Serum Soluble Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 1 (sVEGFR-1) Levels in Women with Preeclampsia

Kaori Koga, Yutaka Osuga, Osamu Yoshino, Yasushi Hirota, Xie Ruimeng, Tetsuya Hirata, Satoru Takeda, Tetsu Yano, Osamu Tsutsumi and Yuji Taketani

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (K.K., Y.O., O.Y., Y.H., X.R., T.H., T.Y., O.T., Y.T.), Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (S.T.), Saitama Medical Center, Saitama Medical School, Saitama 350-8550; and CREST (O.T.), Japan Science and Technology, Kawaguchi 332-0012, Japan

Address correspondence to: Yutaka Osuga, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.

Abstract

Hoping to get more insight into a role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a putative substance involved in the development of preeclampsia, we measured concentrations of soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sVEGFR-1), a natural antagonist of VEGF, in serum from women with (n = 31) and without (n = 52) preeclampsia. The concentrations of sVEGFR-1 in serum from women with preeclampsia (median 7791 pg/mL) were > 6-fold higher than those from control (1132 pg/mL, p < 0.0001). The levels of sVEGFR-1 decreased markedly after delivery in both groups. Serum sVEGFR-1 levels of non-preeclamptic women were positively correlated with gestational age (r = 0.570, p < 0.0001), whereas those of preeclamptic women exhibited no correlation with gestational age (r = -0.130, p = 0.476). These findings may point to an involvement of sVEGFR-1 in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia possibly by antagonizing of VEGF effects on the formation of placental vasculature and maternal endothelial cell function.