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Maternal Serum Endocan Concentration in Pregnancies Complicated by Intrauterine Growth Restriction

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Abstract

Objectives

Endocan plays a role in the development of vascular tissue in health and disease and is an indicator of endothelial cells activation and angiogenesis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal endocan serum level and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) as well as ultrasound Doppler flow measurements indicating placental insufficiency.

Methods

This study included a group of women with IUGR (n = 37) and a group of healthy pregnant women (controls, n = 37). The endocan serum concentrations were assessed using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Every woman underwent an ultrasound examination with Doppler flow measurements of the uterine arteries, umbilical vessels, and fetal middle cerebral artery. We used the cerebroplacental ratio (CPR) to determine placental insufficiency.

Results

We found significant differences in median (interquartile) endocan serum level (pg/mL) between study and control groups (464 [374–532] vs 339 [189–496], respectively; P <.001). The endocan serum level correlated neither with umbilical cord blood gases nor with Apgar score. Ultrasound Doppler findings revealed significant differences in middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (PI), umbilical artery PI, CPR, as well as mean uterine arteries PI between IUGR group and controls. In the study group, we found significant correlations between the serum endocan and CPR (R = 0.56, P <.001) as well as between serum endocan and mean uterine arteries PI (R = 0.46, P =.006).

Conclusion

Endocan is likely involved in the pathogenesis of IUGR in pregnant women and possibly is a useful marker of endothelial dysfunction in these cases.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 33 Polna Street, Poznan, 60-535, Poland

    Agata Szpera-Gozdziewicz MD, PhD, Mariola Krzyscin MD, PhD & Grzegorz H. Breborowicz MD, PhD

  2. Department of Physical Pharmacy and Pharmacokinetics, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

    Katarzyna Kosicka MSc, PhD, Anna Siemiatkowska MSc, PhD, Franciszek Glowka MSc, PhD & Ewa Wender-Ozegowska MD, PhD

  3. Division of Gynecology, Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

    Tomasz Gozdziewicz MSc, PhD

  4. Division of Reproduction, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Gynecologic Oncology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

    Przemyslaw Wirstlein MSc, PhD

Authors
  1. Agata Szpera-Gozdziewicz MD, PhD
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  2. Katarzyna Kosicka MSc, PhD
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Correspondence to Agata Szpera-Gozdziewicz MD, PhD.

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Authors’ Note

The manuscript has not been and will not be submitted to any other journal while it is under consideration by the Reproductive Sciences. Also, there are no prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information.

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Szpera-Gozdziewicz, A., Kosicka, K., Gozdziewicz, T. et al. Maternal Serum Endocan Concentration in Pregnancies Complicated by Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Reprod. Sci. 26, 370–376 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719118773480

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