Circulating Chemerin Is Elevated in Women With Preeclampsia

Lucy A Bartho; Manju Kandel; Susan P Walker; Catherine A Cluver; Roxanne Hastie; Lina Bergman; Natasha Pritchard; Ping Cannon; Tuong-Vi Nguyen; Georgia P Wong; Teresa M MacDonald; Emerson Keenan; Natalie J Hannan; Stephen Tong; Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino

doi:10.1210/endocr/bqad041

Circulating Chemerin Is Elevated in Women With Preeclampsia

Endocrinology. 2023 Mar 13;164(5):bqad041. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad041.

Authors

Lucy A Bartho^{1

2}, Manju Kandel^{1

2}, Susan P Walker^{1

2}, Catherine A Cluver³, Roxanne Hastie^{1

2

3}, Lina Bergman^{3

4

5}, Natasha Pritchard^{1

2}, Ping Cannon^{1

2}, Tuong-Vi Nguyen^{1

2}, Georgia P Wong^{1

2}, Teresa M MacDonald^{1

2}, Emerson Keenan^{1

2}, Natalie J Hannan^{1

2}, Stephen Tong^{1

2}, Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Translational Obstetrics Group, The Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mercy Hospital for Women, University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.
² Mercy Perinatal, Mercy Hospital for Women, Heidelberg, Victoria 3084, Australia.
³ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa.
⁴ Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 85, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 405 30, Sweden.

Abstract

Background: Preeclampsia is a severe complication of pregnancy. Chemerin is an adipokine secreted from adipose tissue and highly expressed in placenta. This study evaluated the biomarker potential of circulating chemerin to predict preeclampsia.

Methods: Maternal plasma and placenta were collected from women with early-onset preeclampsia (<34 weeks), with preeclampsia and eclampsia, or before preeclampsia diagnosis (36 weeks). Human trophoblast stem cells were differentiated into syncytiotrophoblast or extravillous trophoblasts across 96 hours. Cells were cultured in 1% O2 (hypoxia) or 5% O2 (normoxia). Chemerin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and RARRES2 (gene coding chemerin) by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction.

Results: Circulating chemerin was increased in 46 women with early-onset preeclampsia (<34 weeks) compared to 17 controls (P < .0006). Chemerin was increased in placenta from 43 women with early-onset preeclampsia compared to 24 controls (P < .0001). RARRES2 was reduced in placenta from 43 women with early-onset preeclampsia vs 24 controls (P < .0001). Chemerin was increased in plasma from 26 women with established preeclampsia (P = .006), vs 15 controls. Circulating chemerin was increased in 23 women who later developed preeclampsia vs 182 who did not (P = 3.23 × 10-6). RARRES2 was reduced in syncytiotrophoblast (P = .005) or extravillous trophoblasts (P < .0001). Hypoxia increased RARRES2 expression in syncytiotrophoblast (P = .01) but not cytotrophoblast cells.

Conclusions: Circulating chemerin was elevated in women with early-onset preeclampsia, established preeclampsia, and preceding preeclampsia diagnosis of preeclampsia. RARRES2 was dysregulated in placenta complicated by preeclampsia and may be regulated through hypoxia. Chemerin may have potential as a biomarker for preeclampsia but would need to be combined with other biomarkers.

Keywords: adipokine; biomarker; chemerin; hypoxia; placenta; preeclampsia.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biomarkers / metabolism
Female
Humans
Hypoxia / metabolism
Placenta / metabolism
Pre-Eclampsia* / diagnosis
Pregnancy
Trophoblasts / metabolism

Substances

Biomarkers
RARRES2 protein, human