Maternal Serum Soluble Urokinase Plasminogen Activator Receptor And C-Reactive Protein Levels in Pre-Eclampsia: A Case-Control Study

Background & Objectives: Soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is a biomarker increasingly used for monitoring systemic inflammation. We therefore aim to investigate the potential role of suPAR as a possible inflammatory marker in comparison to C-reactive protein (CRP, already known inflammatory marker) in preeclampsia (PE) and normotensive pregnancy as a prognostic marker.

Methods: This observational case-control study included 40 cases and 40 controls. Cases were defined as women diagnosed with pre-eclampsia for termination of pregnancy at ≥28 weeks of gestation while controls were normotensive healthy pregnant women. Maternal serum samples were taken in plain vials, centrifuged, stored at -20°C and further analysed for serum suPAR and CRP levels.

Results: The mean value of serum suPAR levels was higher in preeclamptic cases (5.08 ± 1.2 ng/mL) than in the control group (2.81 ± 0.52 ng/ml) and was statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean value of serum CRP levels was higher in preeclamptic cases 21.65 ± 9.18 mg/L than in the control group 15.62 ± 3.35 mg/L and was statistically significant (p<0.05) (Table 1). No significant difference was found on comparing serum suPAR levels between HELLP vs non-HELLP and non-severe vs severe pre-eclampsia.

Conclusion: Our study investigated suPAR and CRP levels in preeclampsia patients compared to controls. suPAR levels were significantly elevated in preeclamptic patients versus controls. Similarly, CRP levels were higher in preeclampsia cases than controls, suggesting their potential as biomarkers for the condition