The early developments of preeclampsia drugs

Progesterone Enhances the Invasion of Trophoblast Cells by Activating PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway to Prevent Preeclampsia

We aimed to explore whether the effect of progesterone on preeclampsia via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. First, we studied the role of progesterone in preeclampsia patients and HTR-8/Svneo cells by adding progesterone. Then PI3K inhibitor LY294002 was added. The effects of progesterone on preeclampsia were also studied in animals by constructing a preeclampsia rat model. CCK-8 and Transwell assay were applied to measure cell viability and invasion ability. ELISA was performed to measure progesterone, MMP-2, MMP-9, pro-inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, and anti-inflammatory factors IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13 levels. HE staining was used to detect the pathological changes in uterine spiral artery. Western blot was performed to detect Cyclin D1, PCNA, MMP-2, MMP-9, inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway related proteins AKT, p-AKT, PI3K, and p-PI3K expressions. Progesterone could reduce blood pressure and urine protein in pregnant women with preeclampsia. TNF-α and IL-1β levels were decreased, but IL-4, IL-10, IL-13, cyclin D1, and PCNA levels were increased in pregnant women with preeclampsia after using progesterone. After the use of progesterone, the symptoms of the PE model group were improved. Among them, the lumen of the placental uterine spiral artery was enlarged, and the fibrinoid necrosis of the uterine wall and acute atherosclerotic lesions were relieved. In addition, progesterone promoted HTR-8/Svneo cells proliferation and invasion. However, high expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, p-AKT, and p-PI3K in Normal and preeclampsia groups caused by progesterone was weakened after adding LY294002, indicating that progesterone could activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway to regulate HTR-8/Svneo cells. Progesterone decreased urine protein and blood pressure of preeclampsia rats in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, progesterone activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and inhibited the inflammatory response in preeclampsia rats.

An Overview of Obesity, Cholesterol, and Systemic Inflammation in Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia (PE), an inflammatory state during pregnancy, is a significant cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Adverse outcomes associated with PE include hypertension, proteinuria, uterine/placental abnormalities, fetal growth restriction, and pre-term birth. Women with obesity have an increased risk of developing PE likely due to impaired placental development from altered metabolic homeostasis. Inflammatory cytokines from maternal adipose tissue and circulating cholesterol have been linked to systemic inflammation, hypertension, and other adverse outcomes associated with PE. This review will summarize the current knowledge on the role of nutrients, obesity, and cholesterol signaling in PE with an emphasis on findings from preclinical models.

Drug development research in pregnant and lactating women

Pregnant and lactating women are considered "therapeutic orphans" because they generally have been excluded from clinical drug research and the drug development process owing to legal, ethical, and safety concerns. Most medications prescribed for pregnant and lactating women are used "off-label" because most of the clinical approved medications do not have appropriate drug labeling information for pregnant and lactating women. Medications that lack human safety data on use during pregnancy and lactation may pose potential risks for adverse effects in pregnant and lactating women as well as risks of teratogenic effects to their unborn and newborn babies. Federal policy requiring the inclusion of women in clinical research and trials led to considerable changes in research design and practice. Despite more women being included in clinical research and trials, the inclusion of pregnant and lactating women in drug research and clinical trials remains limited. A recent revision to the "Common Rule" that removed pregnant women from the classification as a "vulnerable" population may change the culture of drug research and drug development in pregnant and lactating women. This review article provides an overview of medications studied by the Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Units Network and Centers and describes the challenges in current obstetrical pharmacology research and alternative strategies for future research in precision therapeutics in pregnant and lactating women. Implementation of the recommendations of the Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women can provide legislative requirements and opportunities for research focused on pregnant and lactating women.

Pravastatin is useful for prevention of recurrent severe placenta-mediated complications - a pilot study

BACKGROUND

Preeclampsia with severe features and other severe placenta-mediated complications may be life threatening to mother and fetus, especially when they are recurrent. Recurrence of pregnancy complications is common, however, when combined treatment with low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin fails, there are not any proven therapeutic options for prevention of recurrence of obstetrical complications.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to determine the impact of adding pravastatin to low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin for improving pregnancy outcome in women with severe recurrent placenta-mediated complications.

DESIGN

A retrospective study of 32 women with severe recurrent placenta-mediated complications (preeclampsia with severe features, placental abruption, severe intrauterine growth retardation or intra uterine fetal death) in spite of treatment with low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin in previous pregnancy. All women were treated in the index pregnancy with 20 mg pravastatin starting at 12 weeks, with low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin. Antiphospholipid syndrome was evident for 10 of the 32 women.

RESULTS

In the index pregnancy, only one woman had recurrence of severe placenta-mediated complications. Gestational age at delivery in the index pregnancy compared to previous pregnancy when women were treated with low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin was 36.5 ± 1.7 vs. 32 ± 3.6 weeks, and mean birth weight 2691 ± 462 vs. 1436 ± 559 grams, compared to previous pregnancy when women were treated with low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin (p < .001 for both). Of the 17 women with previous preeclampsia with severe features, 15 had no recurrence of preeclampsia and 2 women had mild preeclampsia at term. Of the 8 women with previous severe intrauterine growth retardation, all delivered at significant higher gestational age compare to previous pregnancy, [37.0 ± 1 vs. 34 ± 3 weeks, (p < .05)] with higher mean birth-weight [2648 ± 212 vs. 1347 ± 465 grams, (p = .05)]. Of the 3 women with previous placental abruption, one delivered at 32 weeks due to non-reassuring fetal heart monitoring, one woman was delivered at 36 weeks due to mild preeclampsia, and one woman underwent elective induction of labor at 37 weeks with no intrauterine growth retardation. Of the 4 women with previous recurrent intrauterine fetal death, 3 women delivered at 37 weeks after elective induction, and one woman at 30 weeks with a birthweight of 960 grams due to severe intrauterine growth retardation.

CONCLUSIONS

Additive treatment with pravastatin to low molecular weight heparin and low dose aspirin may be a promising option in cases of previous severe recurrent placenta-mediated complications.

Clinical Procedures for the Prevention of Preeclampsia in Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE

 To identify the most effective procedures recommended for the prevention of preeclampsia.

DATA SOURCES

 A systematic review was performed in the following databases: Pubmed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane and LILACS via the Virtual Health Library (VHL). A manual search was also performed to find additional references. The risk of bias, the quality of the evidence, and the classification of the strength of the recommendations were evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

SELECTION OF STUDIES

 In the initial search in the databases, the total number of articles retrieved was 351, and 2 were retrieved through the manual search; after duplicate articles were removed, 333 citations remained. After a thorough review of the titles and abstracts, 315 references were excluded. Accordingly, 18 articles were maintained for selection of the complete text (phase 2). This process led to the exclusion of 6 studies. In total, 12 articles were selected for data extraction and qualitative synthesis.

DATA COLLECTION

 The articles selected for the study were analyzed, and we inserted the synthesis of the evidence in the online software GRADEpro Guideline Development Tool (GDT) (McMaster University and Evidence Prime Inc. All right reserved. McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontário, Canada); thus, it was possible to develop a table of evidence, with the quality of the evidence and the classification of the strength of the recommendations.

DATA SYNTHESIS

 In total, seven studies recommended the individual use of aspirin, or aspirin combined with calcium, heparin or dipyridamole. The use of calcium alone or in combination with phytonutrients was also highlighted. All of the studies were with women at a high risk of developing preeclampsia.

CONCLUSION

 According to the studies evaluated, the administration of aspirin is still the best procedure to be used in the clinical practice to prevent preeclampsia.

Novel Interventions for the Prevention of Preeclampsia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the rationale and biological plausibility and discuss the current research on novel interventions for the prevention of preeclampsia.

RECENT FINDINGS

Preeclampsia affects up to 8% of pregnancies worldwide and remains a major cause of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Multiple medications have been investigated or repurposed as potential effective interventions for preeclampsia prevention. Aspirin is currently the only drug for which there is some evidence of benefit for preeclampsia prevention, and its use is recommended by professional societies for pregnancies at risk. Statins have shown promise for prevention of preeclampsia in animal models and human pilot studies, without any trend or concerns for safety signals or teratogenicity. The use of metformin has also gained popularity in experimental studies, but observations from randomized clinical trials were not consistent on its utility as a possible intervention for preeclampsia prevention. While initial studies evaluating esomeprazole were promising, randomized trials failed to show benefit. Contemporary research shows exciting new opportunities for prophylactic treatment for preeclampsia, to prevent this debilitating and life-threatening disease.

Comparison of mean platelet volume (MPV) and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio as predictive markers for preeclampsia

INTRODUCTION

Preeclampsia is characterised by an increased platelet consumption with consecutive reduction of overall platelet count and a consecutive rise in mean platelet volume (MPV). MPV has therefore been suggested as a predictive marker for preeclampsia. We aimed to investigate MPV longitudinally in women with preeclampsia compared to healthy controls during pregnancy for potential early detection of preeclampsia and to compare potential MPV changes against the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio.

STUDY DESIGN

This longitudinal study included 38 women with preeclampsia and 84 women with normal pregnancies, where MPV and sFlt-1 and PLGF levels were determined every 4 weeks, starting in early pregnancy.

RESULTS

MPV was significantly higher in women who developed preeclampsia compared to women with normal pregnancies at 12, (p = .029), 24 (p = .011), 28 (p = .037), 32 (p = .002), and 36 weeks of gestation, respectively (p = .015). Further analysis revealed a cut-off point of 10.85 fl (sensitivity 65.6%, specificity 26.2%) for the prediction of preeclampsia. The sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was significantly higher in women who developed preeclampsia compared to women with normal pregnancies at the same time points (p = .001). The cut-off point for predicting preeclampsia was 10.3 (sensitivity 87.5%, specificity 11.9%). ROC curve analysis showed that MPV has a high predictive value for early-onset preeclampsia (p < .05) but not for late-onset preeclampsia.

CONCLUSION

MPV is significantly elevated even in early pregnancy in women who develop preeclampsia and seems, therefore, a valuable predictor for preeclampsia even at early gestation. However, according to our results, MPV seems reliable in predicting early onset preeclampsia.

Pravastatin for Preventing and Treating Preeclampsia: A Systematic Review

Importance

We have performed a systematic search to summarize the role of statins for preventing and treating severe preeclampsia.

Objective

The aim of this study was to examine whether pravastatin is a useful and safe alternative for treating preeclampsia during pregnancy.

Evidence Acquisition

A systematic MEDLINE (PubMed) search was performed (1979 to June 2017), which was restricted to articles published in English, using the relevant key words of "statins," "pregnancy," "preeclampsia," "obstetrical antiphospholipid syndrome," and "teratogenicity."

Results

The initial search provided 296 articles. Finally, 146 articles were related to the use of statins during pregnancy, regarding their effect on the fetus and the treatment of preeclampsia. Ten studies were related to in vitro studies, 25 in animals, and 24 in humans (13 case report series and 11 cohort studies). We found 84 studies on reviews of such guidelines on cardiovascular disease (35 studies), use of statins in the antiphospholipid syndrome (25 studies), statin's specific use during pregnancy (13 studies), or preeclampsia treatment (11 studies).

Conclusions

Although the studies are of poor quality, the rate of major congenital abnormalities in the newborn exposed to statins during pregnancy is no higher than the expected when compared with overall risk population. The review shows a potential beneficial role of statins in preventing and treating severe preeclampsia that needs to be evaluated through well-designed clinical trials.

Relevance

This update could influence positively the clinical practice, giving an alternative therapy for clinicians who treat preeclampsia, particularly in severe cases.

Should We Add Pravastatin to Aspirin for Preeclampsia Prevention in High-risk Women?

Preeclampsia is a multisystem disorder that affects 3% to 5% of pregnant women and remains a significant source of short-term and long-term maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Many professional societies recommend the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent preeclampsia in high-risk women. Owing to the similarities in pathophysiology between preeclampsia and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and the encouraging data from preclinical and pilot clinical studies, pravastatin has been proposed for preventing preeclampsia. However, before statin administration becomes part of routine clinical practice, a large, well-designed, and adequately powered randomized-controlled trial is needed.