The adipokine preadipocyte factor-1 is downregulated in preeclampsia and expressed in placenta

Abstract Background Adipokines contribute to the development of preeclampsia (PE), a severe pregnancy complication which increases the future risk for cardiovascular and metabolic disease in both mother and newborn. Pre-adipocyte factor-1 (Pref-1) was recently introduced as a novel antiangiogenic and antiadipogenic adipokine. Material and methods Pref-1 was quantified in patients with PE ( n  = 51) and healthy pregnant controls ( n  = 51) during pregnancy, as well as 6 months after delivery (study population 1). Furthermore, Pref-1 was investigated in the immediate peripartal period and the placenta in 40 healthy pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section (study population 2). Results In study population 1, median Pref-1 serum concentrations during pregnancy were significantly lower in women with PE (0.5 μg/l) as compared to healthy pregnant controls (0.7 μg/l) ( p Conclusion Maternal Pref-1 serum concentrations are significantly decreased in PE. The pathophysiological significance of this regulation needs to be studied in more detail in future experiments.