Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Asprosin, a newly characterised adipokine, has been implicated in several physiological and pathological pathways. This study aimed to explore the association between serum and placental asprosin concentrations and the occurrence of preterm births by evaluating their potential as predictive biomarkers. METHODS: A total of 75 participants were enrolled in this cross-sectional study and categorised into four groups - early preterm (delivery before 34 weeks, n = 15), late preterm (34-37 weeks, n = 15), term delivery (37-42 weeks, n = 30) and nonpregnant controls (n = 15). Serum samples were collected from all individuals, and placental tissues were obtained postdelivery from pregnant participants. Asprosin concentrations were quantified using ELISA, and correlation analyses were conducted to determine associations with clinical variables. RESULTS: Significantly elevated asprosin levels were detected in both the serum and placental samples of women with preterm births compared to term deliveries (p = 0.008 for placental samples, p = 0.001 for serum samples). The highest levels were noted in the early preterm group (placental: 18.88 ± 2.12 ng/ml; serum: 19.04 ± 3.15 ng/ml). Strong inverse correlations were identified between asprosin levels and gestational age (placental: r = -0.647, p = 0.01; serum: r = -0.716, p = 0.01) and between serum asprosin and neonatal birth weight (r = -0.683, p = 0.01). The ROC analysis indicated cutoff values of 16.58 ng/ml (placenta) and 15.22 ng/ml (serum) as potential thresholds for preterm birth prediction. CONCLUSION: Increased maternal serum and placental asprosin levels are linked to preterm birth, demonstrating inverse associations with gestational duration and infant birth weight. These results suggest a potential role for asprosin as a predictive biomarker for preterm birth, warranting further mechanistic investigation.