Altered Maternal Plasma Glycogen Phosphorylase Isoenzyme BB as a Biomarker for Preeclampsia and Small for Gestational Age

Objectives: To investigate whether maternal plasma glycogen phosphorylase BB (GPBB) levels were altered in early pregnancy and/or at the time of diagnosis of disease in preeclampsia (term and preterm <37 weeks' gestation) or small for gestational age (SGA). Methods: We conducted 6 nested case-control studies within the Screening of Pregnancy Endpoint (SCOPE) Ireland cohort. Blood samples from women with preeclampsia or SGA were analyzed both from the time of disease presentation and at 15 and 20 weeks' gestation. These were compared with control samples obtained from SCOPE women with healthy uncomplicated pregnancies matched for age, ethnicity, parity, body mass index, and gestational age. Glycogen phosphorylase BB levels were measured using the Diacordon GPBB enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Diagenics, Germany). Results: Glycogen phosphorylase BB levels were higher in women with preeclampsia compared with controls at the time of disease (term preeclampsia median [interquartile range (IQR)]: 22.2 [15.1-39.8] ng/mL vs 16.9 [10.4-19.1] ng/mL; P =.04; N = 14 and preterm preeclampsia median [IQR]: 23.1 [11.2-30.9] ng/mL vs 17.2 [9.8-19.1] ng/mL; P =.04; N = 11) and at 20 weeks' gestation (median [IQR]: 23.0 [15.6-31.4] ng/mL vs 17.0 [13.4-23.6] ng/mL; N = 39; P =.04). Glycogen phosphorylase BB levels were also significantly higher in women with SGA compared with normal controls at the time of disease detection (median [IQR]: 22.7 [12.6-25.5] ng/mL vs 17.0 [9.8-18.0] ng/mL; N = 23; P =.03) but significantly less than controls at 15 weeks' gestation prior to disease detection (median [IQR]: 16.0 [12.1-23.2] ng/mL vs 22.2 [17.0-28.9] ng/mL; N = 25; P =.02). Conclusion: Glycogen phosphorylase BB alone has modest predictive abilities for the development of preeclampsia or SGA. Further research may examine its use in combination with other markers.