The Implication of Aquaporin-9 in the Pathogenesis of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes.

Objective: This study aimed to detect aquaporin-9 (AQP9) concentrations in the serum of patients with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) and compare them with the healthy control group with intact membranes.

Material And Methods: We conducted this prospective case-control study from March 2021 to August 2021. Of the 80 pregnant patients included in the study, we enrolled 42 singleton pregnant patients with PPROM as the study group and 43 healthy gestational age-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy pregnant women with intact fetal membranes as the control group. We compared demographic and clinical characteristics, complete blood count and biochemical parameters, and serum AQP9 concentrations of the participants. We constructed an ROC curve to illustrate the sensitivity and specificity performance characteristics of AQP9 and calculated a cutoff value by using the Youden index.

Results: Maternal serum AQP-9 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with PPROM (804.46±195.63 pg/mL) compared to the healthy pregnant women in the control group (505.97±68.89 pg/mL, p<0.001). When we examine the area under the ROC curve (AUC), the AQP-9 value can be reflected as a statistically significant parameter for diagnosing PPROM. According to the Youden index, a 654.78 pg/mL cut-off value of AQP-9 can be utilized to diagnose PPROM with 80.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Conclusion: Maternal serum AQP9 concentrations were significantly higher in PPROM patients than healthy pregnant women with an intact membrane. We suggest that AQP9 might be an essential biomarker of the inflammatory process and energy homeostasis in PPROM.