Conclusions
This study demonstrated that, in healthy pregnant women, PCSK9 levels are associated to the outcomes of pregnancy occurring at delivery (approximately 28–30 weeks after PCSK9 was quantified). These findings are of special interest because they suggest that PCSK9 regulation is modified early (possibly induced by air pollutants), which might have consequences on the entire pregnancy. Therefore, the results of this study advance current knowledge on how PCSK9 contributes to pregnancy, and how it is associated with a number of variables potentially linked to pregnancy diseases.
Disclosure of interests: All the Authors declare no competing interests.
Contribution to authorship: VB, MR, NP conceived the study and wrote the manuscript; CM measured PCSK9 and all the biochemical variables and wrote the manuscript; SI performed all the statistical analyses; AC and CS critically edited the manuscript; LF, LC, BI, MFG, ED collected all the data and helped in biochemical analyses.
Details of ethics approval: Ethics committee of the Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico (approval number 681/2017)
Fundings: Cariplo Foundation (2015-0552 to MR)