Evaluation of vascular peroxidase 1, humanin, MOTS-c and miR-200c expression levels in untreated preeclampsia patients.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of Vascular Peroxidase 1 (VPO1), humanin, and MOTS-c in relation to miR-200c expression in untreated preeclamptic pregnancies, and to compare these findings with endoglin levels.

Methods And Results: In this study, blood samples were collected from preeclamptic patients presenting to the clinic prior to the initiation of treatment. The levels of endoglin, VPO1, humanin, and MOTS-c were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while miR-200c expression was quantified using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess diagnostic accuracy. Statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05. The levels of endoglin, VPO1, and miR-200c were found to be significantly elevated in the preeclampsia group compared to the control group (p < 0.05), whereas MOTS-c levels were significantly reduced (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in humanin levels between the two groups. A positive correlation was identified between endoglin levels and VPO1 (r = 0.943, p < 0.001), humanin (r = 0.421, p < 0.01), and uric acid (r = 0.314, p = 0.02) in the preeclamptic group.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the elevation of VPO1 and miR-200c levels, along with the reduction of humanin and MOTS-c levels, may contribute to the increased endoglin levels and subsequent endothelial dysfunction observed in preeclampsia. These changes may be associated with the pathogenesis and severity of the disease.