Introduction
Metabolomics is the study of small molecules (metabolites), within cells, tissues and biofluids.
Maternal metabolites are important for optimal maternal health and fetal development throughout pregnancy. Changes in metabolites may hold potential for predicting those at risk for developing preeclampsia. The aim of this study was to assess metabolic profiles in the maternal circulation before and after development of preeclampsia.
Methods
Maternal plasma samples were collected from two independent cohorts: 1) Established preeclampsia cohort – collected from 50 patients diagnosed with early-onset preeclampsia (<34 weeks’ gestation), and 25 gestation-matched controls. 2) Preeclampsia prediction cohort, collected at 36 weeks’ gestation; 17 patients who later developed preeclampsia, and 72 randomly selected controls. Metabolomics was performed by Metabolomics Australia on the Agilent 6545 QTOF Mass Spectrometer. 174 metabolites were quantified in the established preeclampsia cohort, and 631 metabolites in the preeclampsia prediction cohort. MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was used for data pre-processing and statistical analysis.
Results
In the established preeclampsia cohort, 77 metabolites were significantly dysregulated in plasma from women with early-onset preeclampsia, compared to gestation-matched controls (P<0.05). Pathway analysis revealed aminoacyl t-RNA biosynthesis, arginine biosynthesis and D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism were significantly altered in patients with preeclampsia. In the preeclampsia prediction cohort, 16 metabolites were significantly dysregulated in plasma from women who later developed preeclampsia. Pathway analysis revealed amino acid and medium chained fatty acid metabolites were altered in patients who developed late-onset preeclampsia.
Conclusion
This study identified altered metabolites in maternal plasma collected from women with established early-onset preeclampsia, and those who were later diagnosed with preeclampsia. Metabolomics holds significant potential as a non-invasive assessment of maternal and fetal health. More studies are required to further investigate metabolic profiles in preeclampsia to determine if altered metabolites provide a therapeutic window for preeclampsia.