A longitudinal study of free leptin index in pre-eclamptic pregnancies

María Fernanda Garcés, Julieth Daniela Buell-Acosta, Haiver Antonio Rodríguez-Navarro, María Carolina Páez-Leal, Luis Miguel Maldonado-Acosta, Jhon Jairo Peralta-Franco, Álvaro Javier Burgos-Cardenas, Edith Ángel-Müller, Arturo José Parada-Baños, Mario Orlando Parra-Pineda, Javier Eslava-Schmalbach, Camilo Andrés Escobar-Sarmiento, Ezequiel Lacunza, Sofia Alexandra Caminos-Cepeda, Justo P Castaño, Rubén Nogueiras, Carlos Dieguez, Ariel Iván Ruiz-Parra, Jorge Eduardo Caminos

Research output: Articles / NotesScientific Articlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The ratio between circulating levels of leptin and soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), the free leptin index (FLI), is used as a marker of leptin resistance. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the FLI in mild pre-eclamptic pregnancies in a nested case-control study within a prospective observational study. Circulating levels of leptin and sOB-R levels rise significantly during pregnancy in healthy (p < 0.05) (n = 46) and pre-eclamptic pregnancies (p < 0.05) (n = 20). Serum levels of leptin were significantly higher in pre-eclamptic compared to healthy pregnancies at second and third trimesters of pregnancy (p < 0.05). Additionally, serum levels of sOB-R were significantly lower in pre-eclamptic pregnancies during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy compared to healthy pregnancies (p < 0.05). Moreover, we found that FLI did not vary significantly during pregnancy in healthy women (p > 0.05), while it increases in pre-eclamptic pregnancies (p < 0.05). Indeed, FLI was significantly higher at second and third trimesters of pregnancy in pre-eclamptic compared to healthy pregnancies (p < 0.05). In addition, FLI was significantly higher in the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle in eumenorrheic women (p < 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed the ability of leptin (AUC = 0.72) and FLI (AUC = 0.67) as a reliable predictor for mild pre-eclampsia during the second trimester of pregnancy. In conclusion, our findings show that FLI were significantly increased in mild pre-eclamptic pregnancies and allowed us to hypothesize that this rise might alter leptin bioavailability and bioactivity which might lead to the sympathetic hyperactivity and the hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1083-1094
Number of pages12
JournalJournal of cellular and molecular medicine
Volume27
Issue number8
Early online date23 Mar 2023
DOIs
StatePublished - 23 Mar 2023

Keywords

  • free leptin index
  • pregnancy and pre-eclampsia

Research Areas UNAB

  • Marcadores serológicos en enfermedades complejas -MASEC

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