(From left) Jessica Faulkner, PhD, Champa Woodham, MD, Mona Elgazzaz, PhD, and Safia Ogbi (research manager in Faulkner’s lab)

A significant discovery by researchers at Augusta University's Medical College of Georgia is shedding new light on preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication affecting an estimated 2% to 8% of pregnancies worldwide.

Published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology, the research reveals that a protein commonly used to assess preeclampsia risk may also contribute directly to the disease by triggering excess production of the hormone leptin.

The discovery establishes a previously unknown connection between two biological markers long associated with preeclampsia and could help researchers identify new approaches to treatment.

Jessica L. Faulkner, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physiology at the Medical College of Georgia and the study's lead author, explained the importance of the findings.

“Preeclampsia patients have elevated levels of both sFlt-1 and leptin, but the relationship between those two factors has remained unclear. Our findings show that sFlt-1 directly increases leptin production and suggest that leptin may be an important link between placental dysfunction and the cardiovascular complications of the disease.”

Using human placental tissue, cultured cells and animal models, the research team demonstrated that elevated levels of sFlt-1 increase leptin production, contributing to the blood vessel dysfunction characteristic of preeclampsia. When researchers blocked leptin signaling in pregnant mice, much of that dysfunction was reversed.

The research was made possible through collaboration between Faulkner's laboratory and the Medical College of Georgia's Maternal-Fetal Medicine program, led by Champa Woodham, MD.

Woodham emphasized the importance of connecting laboratory discoveries with clinical care.

“Preeclampsia remains one of the most challenging conditions we manage in maternal-fetal medicine because patients can progress from appearing clinically stable to becoming critically ill very quickly. What makes this research particularly exciting is that it takes sFlt-1, a biomarker we are already using clinically to help assess a patient’s risk and gives us a deeper understanding of how it may actually contribute to the disease process.”

Mona Elgazzaz, MD, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow in Faulkner's laboratory and the study's first author, highlighted the potential treatment implications.

“Uncovering the crosstalk between sFlt-1 and leptin is crucial because it introduces new potential targets for treating preeclampsia by modulating the proteins that regulate leptin production.”

The findings are especially significant because current treatment options remain limited, with delivery of the placenta remaining the only definitive cure.

Although additional research is needed before these discoveries can translate into clinical treatments, the findings offer a promising new direction for understanding and potentially treating a condition that continues to threaten maternal and infant health worldwide.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association.

For journalists covering maternal health, pregnancy complications, cardiovascular disease and emerging medical research, Augusta University's research team offers important expertise on the science behind preeclampsia and the potential implications of this discovery.

To learn more or arrange an interview with the researchers, contact AU's External Communications Team mediarelations@augusta.edu to arrange an interview today.