Serum endocan concentration in women with placenta accreta

INTRODUCTION: Placenta accreta was shown to be associated with abnormal attachment, invasion, and penetration of the chorionic villi to the myometrium. Endocan was shown to have a significant role in the regulation of cell adhesion, inflammation, and tumor progression. The aim of this study was to investigate serum endocan levels in pregnant women with and without placenta accreta.
METHODS: This study was conducted on 27 pregnant women with placenta accreta, 27 pregnant with total placenta previa, and 27 healthy pregnant women matched for gestational age. Maternal levels of serum endocan were measured with the use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.
RESULTS: A significantly lower median level of endocan was detected in the group with placenta invasion compared to the other two groups (132.2 vs. 153.2 and 296.4). The differences among these three groups were statistically significant.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a possible protective role of endocan in the pathogenesis of placental invasion. It may be utilized as a biomarker for the detection of placenta accreta during early pregnancy.