Angiogenin plasma levels during pregnancy.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine the levels in plasma of angiogenin in healthy pregnant women and to examine whether there are differences between uncomplicated pregnancies and patients with the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets, preeclampsia-eclampsia, and highly pathologic Doppler flow findings without additional complications.

Study Design: Angiogenin was measured with a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A case control and observational study was conducted in 68 healthy women from the tenth to fortieth weeks of pregnancy and in 18 patients with the syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets, 21 with preeclampsia/eclampsia and 13 with highly pathologic Doppler flow findings at admission for delivery.

Results: Between the tenth and fortieth weeks of uncomplicated pregnancy angiogenin plasma levels rose from 150 to 250 ng/ml (significant correlation). In patients with highly pathologic Doppler flow findings angiogenin is significantly reduced compared with healthy pregnant matched pairs (150 vs 219 ng/ml, p < 0.01).

Conclusion: Rising plasma angiogenin levels in pregnancy may reflect persisting placental transformation and remodeling processes: in patients with highly pathologic Doppler flow findings these processes are disturbed and thus placental function is impaired.