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Inflammation May Contribute to Pre-eclampsia
A DGReview of :"Chemokines and Leukocyte Activation in the Fetal Circulation During Preeclampsia"
Hypertension
10/03/2001
By Mark Greener
Activated neutrophils and monocytes as well as increased chemokine levels might contribute to development of pre-eclampsia.
Endothelial dysfunction, possibly arising from chronic inflammation, appears to be central to the development of pre-eclampsia, report researchers from the National Hospital, University of Oslo, and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
To further examine inflammation's role in this potentially fatal disease, they collected venous cord blood from 35 children born prematurely following pregnancies during which the mothers developed severe pre-eclampsia.
Inflammatory markers, chemokine levels and leukocyte activation in these samples were compared with those collected from 36 babies born after uncomplicated pregnancies.
Neutrophils and monocytes showed increased activation in samples taken from the children of mothers with pre-eclampsia. For example, neutrophils in the cord blood samples of babies born to pre-eclamptic mothers showed increased CD15s, CD49d/CD29 and CD31 expression. Monocytes showed increased CD15s, CD11c and CD54 expression.
Cord blood from children of mothers with pre-eclampsia showed raised levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and growth-related oncogene-alpha. On the other hand, plasma levels of the soluble adhesion molecules E-selectin and L-selectin both declined in these children.
Neither increased expression of leukocyte adhesion molecules nor reduced plasma levels of soluble adhesion molecules were related to either prematurity or pre-eclampsia severity. However, only children of mothers with the most severe pre-eclampsia showed increased IL-8 expression.
The authors conclude that activated foetal neutrophils and monocytes, and increased chemokine levels might contribute to pre-eclampsia and the associated foetal morbidity.
Hypertension 2001;38:394
"Chemokines and Leukocyte Activation in the Fetal Circulation During Preeclampsia"
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