Investigation of serum phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 levels in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

Objective: Phoenixin has endothelial protective and anti-inflammatory properties, but has been associated with the development of hypertension. Given that endothelial dysfunction plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia, we aimed to investigate the serum levels of phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 in pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia.

Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional case-control study, 45 pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia comprised the preeclampsia group, while 45 healthy pregnant women, matched to the preeclampsia group by age, body mass index, and gestational age, served as the control group. Commercial kits were used to analyze phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 levels in serum samples.

Results: Serum phoenixin-14 level was 390.3 pg/mL in the preeclampsia group and 393.2 pg/mL in the control group (P = 0.434). While the serum phoenixin-20 level was 346.6 pg/mL in the preeclampsia group, it was 379.9 pg/mL in the control group (P = 0.278). When the preeclampsia group was divided into subgroups according to the severity of the disease and the onset of the disease and compared with the control group, no significant difference was found between the groups regarding serum phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 levels.

Conclusion: In this study, serum levels of phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 were similar in both the preeclampsia and control groups. Although the sample size is too small to draw a definitive conclusion, findings suggest that phoenixin-14 and phoenixin-20 do not play a role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.