Role of Biomarkers in Early Detection of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy-related, potentially life threatening condition. The incidence of PE has increased in the past decade, which has been attributed to various predisposing factors. Abnormal placentation is central to the evolution of this disease process. However, the triggering factor for this is still unknown. Interestingly, intense research done in this arena has unveiled the names of some important biomolecules which play important role in the vasculognesis of the early placenta, namely, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PlGF) and their antagonists, namely, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1, also known as sVEGFR1), and soluble endoglin (sEng). Besides these, Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) was also implicated in this disease process. The roles of immune factors, genetic factors have been stressed from time to time. More novel approaches made, have shed light on the upcoming biomolecules. All these endeavours are directed to diagnose PE as early as possible, which is a real challenge. Question remains whether a single set parameters could diagnose a disease entity which is as complex as PE. Therefore, it is imperative to design feasible, predictive test-set utilizing multiple biomarkers.