ISSN:
1440-1681
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
1. Pre-eclampsia is a human disease of pregnancy characterized by high blood pressure, proteinuria and end-organ damage, if severe. Pre-eclampsia is thought to be related to changes in early placental development, with the formation of a shallower than normal placental bed.2. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 is a multifunctional fibrogenic growth factor involved in immune regulation that is elevated in some populations with a high risk of hypertensive end-organ disease related to increases in endothelin release. Transforming growth factor-β1 is also an important factor in placental implantation. Alterations in TGF-β1 may be related to abnormal placental development in early pregnancy and, thus, are a candidate for the development of hypertension in pre-eclampsia.3. The aim of the present study was to examine the placental distribution and serum concentration of TGF-β1 in patients with pre-eclampsia compared with normal pregnancy.4. Patients with pre-eclampsia (n = 12) were compared with patients with normal pregnancy (n = 14). Transforming growth factor-β1 was determined by TGF-β1 Max ELISA (Promega, Madsion, WI, USA) after serum dilution (1/150) and acid activation. Placental distribution was determined by immunostaining with TGF-β1 (Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; 20 ng/mL) and the villi and decidual trophoblast were scored for intensity and extent of staining.5. Patients with pre-eclampsia had a mean gestational age of 36 weeks, whereas those with a normal pregnancy had a mean gestational age of 39.0 ± 0.4 weeks. There was no difference in TGF-β1 concentration between the two groups (mean (±SEM) 27.1 ± 1.0 vs 26.4 ± 0.7 pg/mL for normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, respectively; P = 0.73, Mann–Whitney U-test). There was no correlation between systolic or diastolic blood pressure and TGF-β1 concentration (regression analysis P = 0.4 and 0.2). Immunostaining was absent in the villous trophoblast cells and endovascular and extravillous trophoblast of term placentas.6. Although TGF-β1 is present in trophoblast cells in early pregnancy during placental development, TGF-β1 concentrations were not increased in the placenta at term in pre-eclampsia and there was no correlation between blood pressure and serum TGF-β1, suggesting that TGF-β1 does not play a role in the development of late gestation pre-eclampsia and hypertension.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-1681.2002.03763.x
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