Difference in serum nephrin expression between normal and preeclamptic pregnancies: A preliminary study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Nephrin is one of the slit membrane proteins of podocytes in the kidney. It is known that the nephrin is shed in the urine in nephropathy accompanying proteinuira. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in the serum nephrin expression between normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. METHODS: A total of 20 pregnant women from May to September 2008 who received prenatal care and underwent delivery at our institute participated in the study. The preeclamptic group includes 13 women diagnosed as preeclampsia and a normal group of 7. Their serum were collected before delivery and analyzed by Western blotting for comparing serum nephrin expression. RESULTS: There was no difference in age, body weight of pregnant women, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, urine creatinine level and gestational age between two groups. However, preeclampsia group had significantly higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure (P<0.001), serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 level (P=0.002), and lower birth weight (P=0.011). In serum Western blot analysis, serum nephrin was detected in 10 of 13 in preeclampsia women (76.9%) but only in 2 of 7 (28.6%) in normal pregnancy women showing statistically significant difference (P=0.032). CONCLUSION: A higher prevalence of nephrin expression in the maternal serum was found in the preeclampsia when compared to the normal pregnancy.