Possible Epigenetic Biomarker for Preeclampsia Found in Pregnancy

An analysis of cheek swabs from pregnant women has revealed a potential epigenetic biomarker for preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition that often leads to premature birth. While clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, a study published in the journal Environmental Epigenetics offers hope that a simple test can be developed to detect preeclampsia earlier in pregnancy. Currently, preeclampsia is usually diagnosed based on symptoms, such as abnormally high blood pressure, that don’t appear until the second trimester of pregnancy. Sometimes the condition goes undetected until it becomes an emergency.

Mothers With Preeclampsia have 389 Epigenetic Modifications in Areas Known as DNA Methylation Regions

“If we have a biomarker for susceptibility to preeclampsia, then there are some clinical treatments in the first and early second trimester that could delay preterm birth,” said corresponding author Michael Skinner, a biologist at Washington State University. For this study, co-author Dr. Paul Winchester, director of the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Franciscan Hospital in Indianapolis, collected buccal cells from 49 women who had given birth and had a swab taken after the birth of their babies. In this sample, 13 of the women suffered from preeclampsia and had a premature birth. The remaining mothers did not suffer from preeclampsia, but 23 of them still experienced premature birth, and a control group of 13 women had a full-term delivery. Skinner’s team analyzed their cells for changes in their epigenetics, which are molecular factors and processes that are independent of DNA sequence but determine gene behavior.

The researchers found that the mothers with preeclampsia had 389 epigenetic modifications in areas known as DNA methylation regions. These modifications were not detected in mothers without the condition. Furthermore, these modifications overlapped only 15 percent with the epigenetics of other mothers who experienced premature birth but did not suffer from the condition, suggesting that these are epigenetic modifications specifically related to preeclampsia. Babies born before 37 weeks of gestation often have long-term health problems into adulthood, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is estimated that preeclampsia accounts for only about 8-10% of preterm births, but these are often among the earliest births with more severe health problems.

Skinner’s team had previously identified a potential biomarker for the risk of preterm birth. Researchers now hope to conduct a clinical trial that would confirm the results of this research as well as this study – and ultimately lead to a cheek swab test to identify these risks earlier and enable preventive medical treatments. “Preterm birth, which now accounts for more than 10% of all pregnancies, is highly responsible for the subsequent health problems of each of those preterm infants,” Skinner said. This is not just a problem for the individuals involved, but potentially a public health issue, and these types of advances could really have a major impact on reducing the disease burden in our population, according to the researcher.