Association between Plasma ST2 and Severity, Maternal Complications, Fetal Outcome in Patients with Preeclampsia

Abstract

Background: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) and its receptor, suppression of tumorigenicity 2 receptor (ST2), participate in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE). This study investigated the significance of soluble ST2 (sST2) in the diagnosis of PE and its relationship with PE severity and maternal and neonatal complications. Methods: Participants included 36 patients with severe PE, 42 with mild PE, and 40 healthy pregnant women. The plasma level of sST2 was measured by the Presage ST2 Assay. Results: Patients with PE showed significantly higher sST2 level than healthy women. sST2 level was also significantly elevated in patients with severe PE compared to those with mild PE. The optimal cut-off value for sST2 to diagnose PE from healthy control was 40.95 ng/mL (AUC (area under the curve) 0.9253), and the optimal cut-off value for sST2 to diagnose severe PE from mild PE was 72.94 ng/mL (AUC 0.7963). Plasma sST2 level exhibited positive correlations with 24-h proteinuria, SBP (systolic blood pressure) and DBP (diastolic blood pressure) in patients with PE. PE patients with high sST2 level displayed significantly higher incidence rate of maternal and fetal complications than those with low sST2 level. Conclusions: In conclusion, this research illustrated that elevated level of plasma ST2 correlated with the severity of PE and the generation of maternal and fetal complications during PE pathogenesis. Meanwhile, sST2 was also identified to be a valuable diagnostic marker for PE.