Dysregulated Placental Micrornas In Early And Late Onset Preeclampsia. Homo sapiens

Introduction: To determine the miRNA expression profile in placentas complicated by Preeclampsia (PE) and compare it to uncomplicated pregnancies. Methods: Sixteen placentas from women with PE, including 11 with early onset PE (EOPE) and 5 with late onset PE (LOPE), as well as 8 from uncomplicated pregnancies were analyzed using miRNA microarrays. For statistical analyses the MATLAB® simulation environment was applied. The over-expression of miR-518a-5p was verified using Quantitative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction. Results: Overall, 44 miRNAs were found deregulateddysregulated in PE complicated placentas. Statistical analysis revealed that miR-431, miR-518a-5p and miR-124* were over-expressed in EOPE complicated placentas as compared to controls whereas miR-544 and miR-3942 were down-regulated in EOPE. When comparing the miRNA expression profile in cases with PE and PE- growth restricted fetuses (FGR), miR-431 and miR-518a-5p were found over-expressed in pregnancies complicated by FGR. Additionally, up- regulation of miR-124, miR-423-3p and miR-518a-5p was associated with proteinuria. Discussion: Specific miRNAs can differentiate EOPE and LOPE from uncomplicated pregnancies representing putative PE-specific diagnostic biomarkers. Among them, miR-518a-5p emerged as a potential diagnostic indicator for EOPE cases as well as for FGR and proteinuria associated PE complicated placentas designating its potential link to the severity of the disease. Overall design: Placental samples were collected from 16 women with PE (n=11 with Early Onset Pre-Eclampsia (EOPE) and n=5 diagnosed with Late Onset Pre-Eclampsia (LOPE)) and from 8 with uncomplicated term pregnancies at the time of cesarean section in the 3rd Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. A total of 24 samples has been processed and examined.