Diagnostic potential for miRNAs as biomarkers for pregnancy-specific diseases

Discovery of circulating miRNAs in maternal blood has not only facilitated the understanding of their role in normal pregnancy, but also paved new avenues for biomarker discovery to detect pregnancy-associated complications, such as preeclampsia, ectopic pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, fetal growth restriction, recurrent pregnancy loss, and preterm delivery. In this review, we summarize the studies to date of miRNAs in maternal circulation and placental tissue in human. This brief review does not cover all aspects of this intriguing field but focuses on some new and interesting findings of diagnostic potential for miRNAs as biomarkers for pregnancy-specific diseases. (C) 2013 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.