Prediction of preeclampsia using angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors

Abstract

Angiogenic factors play important roles in the regulation of placental vasculogenesis, and placental vascular development may be regulated by a local balance between angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placenta growth factor (PlGF) are potent angiogenic growth factors capable of inducing proliferation, migration, and activation of endothelial cells. Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (sVEGFR1) functions as an antagonist of both VEGF and PlGF. In this review, we survey literature on the use of peripheral blood PlGF levels or the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio to predict preeclampsia. While peripheral blood PlGF levels may not be clinically useful for predicting preeclampsia, the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio is a promising tool for assessing the risk of early-onset preeclampsia, although the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio does not perform well as a screening test for preeclampsia.