Introduction: Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-induced disorder that complicates approximately 5-7% of pregnancies. It is the leading cause of maternal and foetal morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Aim: To determine the role of serum neurokinin-B level in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia.
Methods: This was a case-control study. A total of 80 pregnant women in their third trimester of pregnancy were included in the study. They were divided into two groups (40 pre-eclamptic and 40 normotensive) according to the presence or absence of clinical parameters of pre-eclampsia. Serum level of neurokinin-B was measured with ELISA.
Results: Maternal age, weight, BMI, pulse, systolic BP and diastolic BP were statistically higher in the pre-eclampsia group compared to the normotensive group (P < 0.0001). Moreover, statistically higher levels were observed for neurokinin-B in the normotensive group as compared to the pre-eclamptic group. The mean value of neurokinin-B was 83.50 ng/L in the pre-eclamptic group compared to 111.5 ng/L in the normotensive group (P = 0.006).
Conclusion: Higher levels of serum neurokinin-B were observed in the normotensive pregnant females as compared to the pre-eclamptic females. Thus, apparently, it seems that serum neurokinin-B plays no role in the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia, and further large multicentre prospective studies may be required to ascertain its role.
Keywords: Hypertension; Neurokinin-B; Placental hypoxia; Pre-eclampsia; Pregnancy.