The role of extracellular fetal DNA in predicting the great obstetric syndromes

Karapetyan A.O., Baeva M.O., Baev O.R.

Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, Moscow 117997, Ac. Oparina str. 4, Russia
Objective. To present an analysis of the data available in the literature on the role of extracellular fetal DNA (fDNA) in predicting the great obstetric syndromes.
Material and methods. Literature sources published in databases, such as Pubmed and Scopus, were sought.
Results. There is evidence indicating that increased maternal blood DNA levels can be used as a predictive marker for pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, and fetal growth retardation. The most likely mechanism for increasing maternal blood fDNA is the strengthening of apoptotic, necrotic, and inflammatory processes in the placenta. However, not all studies confirm that there is a relationship between the development of the great obstetric syndromes and higher fDNA concentrations. Conceivably, the contradictions are due to the use of a number of procedures to determine fDNA, which limit sampling by sex and rhesus factor. Also, there is no consensus on the time when its concentration starts to increase; the influence of confounding factors has not been investigated.
Conclusion. Maternal blood extracellular fDNA is a promising marker for predicting the great obstetric syndromes. There is a need for further investigations, by using the procedures that do not limit sampling and by taking into account the factors that influence the maternal blood concentration of extracellular fDNA.

Keywords

extracellular fetal DNA
preeclampsia
fetal growth retardation
preterm birth

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Received 08.06.2017

Accepted 23.06.2017

About the Authors

Anna O. Karapetyan, resident of Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. Tel.: +79057068481. E-mail: a_karapetyan@oparina4.ru
Baeva Madina Olegovna, resident of the Department of Radiation Diagnostics and Radiation Therapy, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University.
119146, Russia, Moscow, Bolshaya Pirogovskaya str. 19c1. E-mail: baeva.m.o.@yandex.com
Baev Oleg Radomirovich, MD, professor, head of the maternity ward, Research Center of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia.
117997, Russia, Moscow, Ac. Oparina str. 4. Tel.: +74954381188. E-mail: o_baev@oparina4.ru

For citations: Karapetyan A.O., Baeva M.O., Baev O.R. The role of extracellular fetal DNA in predicting the great obstetric syndromes. Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2018; (4): 10-5. (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2018.4.10-15

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