The role of circulating microRNA-181a in the development of preeclampsia associated with chronic arterial hypertension

Relevance . According to research data, up to 8.2% of women enter gestation with pre-existing arterial hypertension (AH), and one third of women have hypertension for the first time before 20 weeks of pregnancy. The purpose of the study . To study the expression level of microRNA-181a in blood plasma in the first trimester of pregnancy in patients with chronic arterial hypertension (CAH) without preeclampsia, women with CAH-associated preeclampsia (NPE) and pregnant women without a history of hypertension with normotensive pregnancy. Materials and methods . The study included 130 patients: group 1 (n=58) consisted of pregnant women with CAH without preeclampsia, group 2 (n=42) included women with NPE, and group 3 (n=30) included healthy pregnant women. The expression level of microRNA-181a in blood plasma was assessed in the studied groups at 12-14 weeks gestation using quantitative polymerase chain reaction in real time. Statistical data processing was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics licensed software package (version 26.0, USA). Results . Multidirectional changes in the expression level of microRNA-181a were revealed in the study groups: a significant decrease in the expression level of microRNA-181a in the group of patients with NPE compared to women with isolated CAH (p1-2 <0.001) and with healthy pregnant women (p2-3=0.004) and an increased expression level in patients with CAH without PE compared to with the NPE group (p1-2<0.001) and normotensive pregnant women (p1-3=0.011). Conclusion . microRNA-181a in the first trimester of pregnancy has the potential of aprognostic noninvasive marker of the development of NPE. Further research is required to study the possible mechanisms of the effect of microRNA-181a on the pathogenesis of NPE.