Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery
Preterm delivery affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide and remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of reliable early predictive tools. Existing strategies are often invasive, relying on blood or amniotic fluid samples and requiring complex processing. In this study, we descri...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Biology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/714 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849435083859034112 |
|---|---|
| author | Ruth Llano Inés Ardao José Manuel Brea Luz Romero María P. Pata Antón L. Martínez Manuel Macía María Isabel Loza |
| author_facet | Ruth Llano Inés Ardao José Manuel Brea Luz Romero María P. Pata Antón L. Martínez Manuel Macía María Isabel Loza |
| author_sort | Ruth Llano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Preterm delivery affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide and remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of reliable early predictive tools. Existing strategies are often invasive, relying on blood or amniotic fluid samples and requiring complex processing. In this study, we describe a novel non-invasive approach based on the multiplex detection of inflammatory cytokines in small urine volumes from pregnant women. To account for clinical and temporal variability, we applied Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) to adjust for gestational age at sampling and obstetric factors. Correlation network analyses revealed cytokine interactions that distinguished preterm from term deliveries, with macrophage-derived cytokines—MIP-1α, MIP-1β, IL-15, and IL-22—emerging as central nodes. These findings highlight the involvement of the IL-1 pathway in the pathophysiology of preterm labor. Furthermore, urinary IL-5 and IL-31 levels correlated positively with pregnancy duration, whereas IL-1β and IL-1Ra in urine and TNFα in amniotic fluid showed inverse associations. Altogether, this non-invasive methodology provides insight into immune dynamics during pregnancy and offers a foundation for future studies focused on biomarker discovery and mechanistic understanding of preterm birth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-22dea3ffaf464a5a8aef0874590bead9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-22dea3ffaf464a5a8aef0874590bead92025-08-20T03:26:25ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372025-06-0114671410.3390/biology14060714Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker DiscoveryRuth Llano0Inés Ardao1José Manuel Brea2Luz Romero3María P. Pata4Antón L. Martínez5Manuel Macía6María Isabel Loza7Servicio de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainInnopharma Drug Screening and Pharmacogenomics Platform, BioFarma Research Group, Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainHealth Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainInnopharma Drug Screening and Pharmacogenomics Platform, BioFarma Research Group, Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases (CiMUS), Department of Pharmacology, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainBiostatech Advice, Training and Innovation in Biostatistics S.L., 15895 O Milladoiro, SpainHealth Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainServicio de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago, 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainHealth Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), 15706 Santiago de Compostela, SpainPreterm delivery affects approximately 10% of pregnancies worldwide and remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of reliable early predictive tools. Existing strategies are often invasive, relying on blood or amniotic fluid samples and requiring complex processing. In this study, we describe a novel non-invasive approach based on the multiplex detection of inflammatory cytokines in small urine volumes from pregnant women. To account for clinical and temporal variability, we applied Generalized Additive Models for Location, Scale, and Shape (GAMLSS) to adjust for gestational age at sampling and obstetric factors. Correlation network analyses revealed cytokine interactions that distinguished preterm from term deliveries, with macrophage-derived cytokines—MIP-1α, MIP-1β, IL-15, and IL-22—emerging as central nodes. These findings highlight the involvement of the IL-1 pathway in the pathophysiology of preterm labor. Furthermore, urinary IL-5 and IL-31 levels correlated positively with pregnancy duration, whereas IL-1β and IL-1Ra in urine and TNFα in amniotic fluid showed inverse associations. Altogether, this non-invasive methodology provides insight into immune dynamics during pregnancy and offers a foundation for future studies focused on biomarker discovery and mechanistic understanding of preterm birth.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/714preterm deliveryurinary cytokinescytokine networkinflammatory pathwaysIL-1 signalingGAMLSS |
| spellingShingle | Ruth Llano Inés Ardao José Manuel Brea Luz Romero María P. Pata Antón L. Martínez Manuel Macía María Isabel Loza Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery Biology preterm delivery urinary cytokines cytokine network inflammatory pathways IL-1 signaling GAMLSS |
| title | Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery |
| title_full | Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery |
| title_fullStr | Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery |
| title_short | Feasibility of Multiplex Cytokine Profiling in Preterm Labor: Towards Biomarker Discovery |
| title_sort | feasibility of multiplex cytokine profiling in preterm labor towards biomarker discovery |
| topic | preterm delivery urinary cytokines cytokine network inflammatory pathways IL-1 signaling GAMLSS |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/714 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ruthllano feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT inesardao feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT josemanuelbrea feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT luzromero feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT mariappata feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT antonlmartinez feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT manuelmacia feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery AT mariaisabelloza feasibilityofmultiplexcytokineprofilinginpretermlabortowardsbiomarkerdiscovery |