Maternal Serum Soluble Adhesion Molecule Levels at 11+0-13+6 Weeks and Subsequent Development of Pre-eclampsia

Objectives: We sought to examine whether the maternal serum concentration of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1) at 11+0-13+6 weeks of gestation could improve the prediction for subsequent development of pre-eclampsia.

Methods: A nested case-control prospective study of pregnancies having uterine artery Doppler routinely at 11+0-13+6 weeks of gestation was conducted to determine the maternal serum concentration of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 in peripheral blood samples obtained from 18 women who later developed pre-eclampsia and 60 unaffected women.

Results: The mean uterine artery pulsatility index was higher (2.2 +/- 0.6 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.5, p < 0.05) in the pre-eclampsia compared with the unaffected pregnancies. There were no significant differences between the groups in the mean serum concentration of either adhesion molecule.

Conclusions: These results suggest that there is no endothelial activation before the appearance of clinical signs of pre-eclampsia. Therefore, these biochemical markers are unlikely to become early predictors of this condition.