Proteinuria is universal to all patients with preeclampsia. We examined the urinary podocytes in women with preeclampsia (n = 14), gestational hypertension (n = 14), and normal pregnancy. Maternal serum and urinary concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF), and the antiangiogenic factor soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) were detected. These concentrations were used to evaluate the urinary excretion of podocytes and the alteration of angiogenic factors and to assess their relationships to proteinuria in preeclampsia. Our studies suggest that the urinary podocyte number and angiogenic factors are correlated with random urine albumin/creatinine ratio and blood pressure. Receiver–operating characteristic (ROC) curves of serum and urinary PlGF and the PlGF/sFlt-1 ratio as well as the presence of podocyturia confirmed their usefulness in distinguishing preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant women. In addition, combinations of serum or urinary PlGF or podocyturia tests in parallel or in series provided the best clue for identifying patients with preeclampsia. We considered that the dysregulation of angiogenic factors and its subsequent podocyte injury may contribute to the mechanism of proteinuria development in preeclampsia.
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