1. Maternal Serum Activin A, Inhibin A and Follistatin-Related Proteins across Preeclampsia: Insights into Their Role in Pathogenesis and Prediction.
- Author
-
Barrero JA, Villamil-Camargo LM, Imaz JN, Arciniegas-Villa K, and Rubio-Romero JA
- Subjects
- Pregnancy, Female, Humans, Follistatin, Inhibins, Activins, Follistatin-Related Proteins, Pre-Eclampsia diagnosis
- Abstract
Background: Within the endocrine-paracrine signalling network at the maternal-foetal interface, the activin-inhibin-follistatin system modulates extravillous trophoblast invasion, suggesting a potential role in preeclampsia pathogenesis. This study aimed to compile the evidence published in the last decade regarding the variation in maternal serum activins, inhibin- and follistatin-related proteins in preeclamptic pregnancies compared to healthy pregnancies, and to discuss their role in predicting and understanding the pathophysiology of preeclampsia., Material and Methods: A scoping review was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE and LILACS databases to identify studies published within the last ten years (2012-2022)., Results: Thirty studies were included. None of the studies addressed maternal serum changes of isoforms different from activin A, inhibin A, follistatin, and follistatin-like 3. Sixteen studies evaluated the potential of these isoforms in predicting preeclampsia through the area under the curve from a receiver operating characteristic curve., Conclusions: In preeclampsia, inhibin A is upregulated in all trimesters, whereas activin A increases exclusively in the late second and third trimesters. Serum follistatin levels are reduced in women with preeclampsia during the late second and third trimesters. However, changes in follistatin-like 3 remain inconclusive. Inhibin A and activin A can potentially serve as biomarkers of early-onset preeclampsia based on the outcomes of the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Further investigations are encouraged to explore the feasibility of quantifying maternal serum levels of activin A and inhibin A as a clinical tool in early preeclampsia prediction., (© 2023 Jorge A. Barrero et al., published by Sciendo.)
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF