Studying the level and relationship of placental growth factor in blood and urine during pregnancy

Relevance. The physiologic course of pregnancy depends on the proper formation of the placenta, the key element of which is the vascular system. Its development is determined by trophoblast invasion, vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Placental growth factor (PlGF) is an angiogenic protein that promotes vascular development. Its high level in the placenta is associated with active formation of the vascular network, peaks by week 30, and then gradually decreases thereafter. Despite numerous studies of biologically active substances in early pregnancy, data on the dynamics of angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors throughout gestation are insufficient and contradictory.

Aim. To study the level and relationship of placental growth factor in the blood and urine during pregnancy.

Materials and methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted, which included 304 pregnant women. A general clinical examination was analyzed, the level of systolic and diastolic blood pressure was determined. Blood and urine samples were also taken to determine the level of placental growth factor.

Results and discussion. The average age of the subjects was 27.44±4.99 years. The mean concentration of placental growth factor in the blood of all participants was 35.5 (22.4±51.2) pg/ml, and in urine was 20.8 (13.8±34.6) pg/ml. When assessing the correlation between PlGF concentrations in blood and urine in the first trimester of pregnancy, an average positive correlation of r=0.62 (95% CI: 0.54; 0.68, p<0.0001) was revealed. Next, we analyzed the dependence of the dynamics of SBP, DBP and proteinuria depending on the concentration of PlGF in the blood and urine of pregnant women: low concentration of PlGF in the blood and urine was significantly associated with an increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (p<0.0001).

Conclusions. The average concentration of placental growth factor in the blood and urine in the first trimester is 35.5 pg/ml and 20.8 pg/ml, respectively. The level of PlGF in the blood has a moderate positive correlation with the concentration of PlGF in the urine. Low concentrations of PlGF in the blood and urine were statistically significantly associated with the increase in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy (p<0.0001).

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