β‐globin DNA in maternal plasma as a molecular marker of pre‐eclampsia

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Abstract
Objectives: Levels of cell‐free foetal DNA in maternal plasma are higher in the presence of clinical features of pre‐eclampsia (PE). However, currently, this method is informative only in women bearing a male foetus, by amplification of Y‐specific sequences. In the present study, we overcame this limitation by examining quantitative distribution of β‐globin, a foetal gender–independent DNA marker.Methods: We quantified β‐globin concentrations in the plasma of 207 pregnant women: control group, 164 subjects; affected group, 43 women affected by PE (n = 43). β‐globin concentrations were converted into multiples of the median of the controls (MoM), in order to assess the possible different distribution of β‐globin MoM in cases and controls.Results: Adjusted MoM values were as follows: controls, 1.00 ± 0.71; affected group 4.03 ± 3.77 (p‐value < 0.001). Among the PE affected cases, MoM β‐globin values of cases with foetal growth restriction (FGR) were almost twice as great as those cases without FGR (p‐value = 0.003).Conclusion: β‐globin levels are higher in the plasma of pregnant women with PE, especially in those cases complicated with FGR, and do not depend on foetal gender. Such a molecular marker can potentially be used in evaluating the pathophysiological severity of PE. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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