Placental Transcriptomic Signatures of Pre-Eclampsia in Nigerian Women: Molecular Pathways and Implications for Biomarker Discovery

Pre-eclampsia remains incompletely understood at the molecular level, and the transcriptomic architecture of the placenta in pre-eclampsia may differ between African and European populations given differences in genetic background, immunological environment, and co-morbidity profile, particularly malaria exposure. This study characterises the placental transcriptomic signatures of pre-eclampsia in Nigerian women and identifies molecular pathways and candidate biomarkers distinct from European transcriptomic datasets. A case-control design recruits 200 women with confirmed pre-eclampsia and 200 normotensive controls delivering at four teaching hospitals in Lagos, Enugu, Kano, and Port Harcourt. Placental biopsies are collected at delivery and processed for RNA extraction and bulk RNA sequencing using Illumina NovaSeq 6000. Differential expression analysis is performed using DESeq2 in R, with gene ontology enrichment analysis, pathway analysis via KEGG and Reactome, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis applying WGCNA to identify hub genes. Candidate biomarker proteins are validated by ELISA in matched maternal plasma samples. Malaria co-infection placental histology is co-analysed as an effect modifier. The Placental Programming Theory and the Angiogenic Imbalance Hypothesis of pre-eclampsia provide the theoretical framework. The study makes an original contribution by identifying African-population-specific transcriptomic modules associated with Nigerian pre-eclampsia, with direct biomarker validation potential. Findings will advance first-trimester predictive screening strategies for Nigerian obstetric contexts. Keywords: pre-eclampsia, placental transcriptomics, RNA sequencing, biomarker discovery, Nigerian women.