Objective: To assess whether amniotic fluid concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in early pregnancy correlate to subsequent preeclampsia.
Study design: We performed a retrospective study to assess VEGF and NO on the second trimester amniotic fluid of 15 healthy women, and 15 women who subsequently developed preeclampsia.
Results: In women with subsequent preeclampsia, both VEGF (213.19+/-78.42 pg/ml) and NO concentrations (4.31+/-1.02 micromol/mg creatinine) were significantly lower than healthy controls (VEGF 255.05+/-88.66 pg/ml; NO 5.02+/-1.57 microg/mg creatinine; P<0.05).
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that reduced VEGF may be responsible, at least in part, for the impaired vascular development which occurs in preeclampsia. Low concentrations of VEGF and NO in the second trimester may represent an impaired stimulus to vascular formation and endothelial regulation that induce placental disease and preeclampsia.