Maternal Serum Galectin-1 in the First Trimester as a Potential Biomarker for Early Prediction of Pre-Eclampsia: A Prospective Study

BACKGROUND Pre-eclampsia is a significant obstetric complication that contributes to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate maternal serum galectin-1 levels in the first trimester as a potential biomarker for the early prediction of pre-eclampsia. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this prospective cohort study, 2176 pregnant women between 8 and 13 weeks of gestation were enrolled at a tertiary health care center in China. Serum galectin-1 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Participants were followed until delivery, and the pregnancy outcomes were recorded. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the value of galectin-1 in predicting pre-eclampsia. RESULTS Out of the 2176 participants, 196 (9.0%) developed pre-eclampsia. Maternal serum galectin-1 levels in the first trimester were significantly lower in women who later developed pre-eclampsia (p=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed galectin-1 was an independent predictor of pre-eclampsia (adjusted OR=4.35, 95% CI: 2.84-6.12, p=0.001). ROC analysis revealed that galectin-1 had promising performance in predicting pre-eclampsia in the first trimester, with an AUC of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.65-0.94, p=0.003). Lower galectin-1 levels were also associated with increased risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Low maternal serum galectin-1 concentrations in the first trimester are significantly associated with the development of pre-eclampsia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Galectin-1 demonstrates promising predictive performance in pre-eclampsia and may serve as a valuable biomarker for early risk stratification and timely intervention in clinical practice.