Abstract
Objective : To compare plasma free amino acid (FAA) and
carnitine levels in pregnant women with and without hydatidiform mole
(HM).
Methods: This prospective study was conducted in patients
admitted to Harran University Medical Faculty Hospital Obstetrics Clinic
between January and November 2018. Twenty-three pregnant women with HM,
and 24 healthy pregnant women as controls were enrolled in the study.
The venous blood samples were collected, and, FAA and carnitine
concentrations were measured in plasma using liquid
chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Results : The levels of alanine, arginine, and valine from the
14 amino acids examined were significantly lower in the HM group than in
the healthy group (475.46 ± 103.55 µmol/L vs 556.99 ± 105.16 µmol/L, p =
0.019; 428.87 ± 138.91 µmol/L vs 547.11 ± 140.20 µmol/L, p = 0.009; and
290.96 ± 97.10 µmol/L vs 358.61 ± 75.40 µmol/L, p = 0.03; respectively).
In addition, several carnitines, C8DC, C16:1, and C18, of the 27
carnitines examined were significantly higher in the HM group than in
the control group (0.07 ± 0.06 µmol/L vs 0.03 ± 0.01 µmol/L, p = 0.021;
0.18 ± 0.09 µmol/L vs 0.10 ± 0.06 µmol/L, p = 0.03; and 0.07 ± 0.02
µmol/L vs 0.03 ± 0.01 µmol/L, p = 0.021; respectively).
Conclusion : This study demonstrated that a
decrease in some plasma FAAs and
an increase in some plasma carnitine levels might be effective in the
pathogenesis of HM.
Keywords : carnitine, free amino acid, hydatidiform mole,
pregnancy, pathogenesis