What Do We Know about Adiponectin in Preeclampsia? A Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific condition with an unknown etiology. It has a significant risk of prenatal and mother morbidity and mortality; the only known treatment is pregnancy termination. Screening for high-risk populations destined to have preeclampsia will effectively guide obstetricians in providing preventative measures, assessing the severity of cases, and scanning for related complica-tions. Adipokines are hormones released by adipose tissue that regulate energy balance, lipid metabo-lism, and insulin sensitivity. Adiponectin is an adipokine with anti-inflammatory and antiatherogenic characteristics. Adiponectin is believed to have a role in preeclampsia pathogenesis by controlling placental angiogenesis endothelial dysfunction and reducing systemic inflammation. The use of novel markers to identify preeclampsia offers more effective preventive and therapeutic avenues. This review aims to discuss the existing data in the field and determine if serum adiponectin can be used to predict preeclampsia, assess its severity, and scan-related complications.