Proteomic Analysis of Early Mid-Trimester Amniotic Fluid Does Not Predict Spontaneous Preterm Delivery

PLoS One. 2016 May 23;11(5):e0155164. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155164. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify early proteomic biomarkers of spontaneous preterm delivery (PTD) in mid-trimester amniotic fluid from asymptomatic women.

Methods: This is a case-cohort study. Amniotic fluid from mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis (14-19 weeks of gestation) was collected from 2008 to 2011. The analysis was conducted in 24 healthy women with subsequent spontaneous PTD (cases) and 40 randomly selected healthy women delivering at term (controls). An exploratory phase with proteomics analysis of pooled samples was followed by a verification phase with ELISA of individual case and control samples.

Results: The median (interquartile range (IQR: 25th; 75th percentiles) gestational age at delivery was 35+5 (33+6-36+6) weeks in women with spontaneous PTD and 40+0 (39+1-40+5) weeks in women who delivered at term. In the exploratory phase, the most pronounced differences were found in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, that were approximately two-fold higher in the pooled case samples than in the pooled control samples. However, we could not verify these differences with ELISA. The median (25th; 75th IQR) CRP level was 95.2 ng/mL (64.3; 163.5) in women with spontaneous PTD and 86.0 ng/mL (51.2; 145.8) in women delivering at term (p = 0.37; t-test).

Conclusions: Proteomic analysis with mass spectrometry of mid-trimester amniotic fluid suggests CRP as a potential marker of spontaneous preterm delivery, but this prognostic potential was not verified with ELISA.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Amniotic Fluid / chemistry*
  • Amniotic Fluid / metabolism
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Obstetric Labor, Premature / diagnosis*
  • Obstetric Labor, Premature / metabolism
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Trimester, Second / metabolism*
  • Premature Birth / diagnosis*
  • Premature Birth / metabolism
  • Prenatal Diagnosis / methods
  • Prognosis
  • Proteome / analysis*
  • Proteome / metabolism
  • Proteomics
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Proteome

Grants and funding

The research underlying this study has been funded by grants as detailed below: The Health & Medical Care Committee of the Regional Executive Board, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden, Grant numbers: VGFOUREG-231311, VGFOUREG-308151 and VGFOUREG-368351 (URL: http://www.fou.nu/is/vgregion); Agreement concerning research and education of doctors, Sweden, Grant numbers: ALFGBG-136431, ALFGBG-426411 and ALFGBG-507701 2 (URL: http://www.fou.nu/is/alfgbg/); Sahlgrenska University Hospital Foundations, No specific grant number (URL: https://www.sahlgrenska.se/sv/SU/Forskning/Stiftelser-och-gavor/); Linnéa and Josef Carlsson’s Foundation, Sweden, Grant numbers: 2011:1 nr:21, 2012 nr:15 and 2014 nr:12 (URL: http://www.carlssonsstiftelse.se/); and The Internal Grant Agency of the Ministry of Health, Czech Republic, Grant number: NT/13599 (URL: http://www.cuni.cz/UKEN-65.html). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.