Proteomic Characterisation of Plasma Biomarkers in Pre-Eclampsia: A Systems Biochemistry Approach in North West Nigeria

Pre-eclampsia remains a leading cause of maternal mortality in Nigeria, and its pathobiological heterogeneity demands novel systems-level biochemical investigations beyond conventional single-marker approaches. This study applies discovery proteomics using data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry to characterise plasma protein expression profiles in pre-eclamptic women compared to normotensive pregnant controls in Sokoto and Kebbi States, North West Nigeria. A nested case-control design was embedded within a prospective antenatal cohort of 500 women, from which 80 pre-eclamptic cases and 80 matched normotensive controls were selected for proteomic analysis. Plasma depletion of high-abundance proteins was performed before tryptic digestion and LC-MS/MS analysis. Bioinformatic pathway analysis using gene ontology and KEGG enrichment identified dysregulated biological processes. Candidate biomarkers emerging from discovery proteomics were validated in an independent cohort using targeted multiple reaction monitoring. The study integrates proteomic findings with clinical and metabolic data in a structural equation model to construct a multi-layer pre-eclampsia risk network. This research constitutes an original contribution to systems biochemistry of pre-eclampsia in African populations and will generate a novel protein biomarker panel with diagnostic and prognostic utility. Keywords: proteomics, pre-eclampsia, mass spectrometry, plasma biomarkers, North West Nigeria.