The role of neutrophil activation in pathogenesis of preeclampsia

Summary To investigate the effect of neutrophil activation on pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia, neutrophil activation was examined by using flow cytometry to assess the CD11b expression and the levels of plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1) and serum NO₂ ⁻ were also measured by using non-equilibrium radioimmunoassay and by Griess assay in 29 pregnant women with pre-eclampsia and 31 normal pregnant ’women at third trimester. The expression of neutrophil CD11b was significantly elevated in women with pre-eclampsia as compared with that of normal pregnant women at third trimester. The mean fluorescence index of CD11b was 438.38 ± 179.91 and 326.97 ± 170.14 respectively (P < 0.05). The plasma ET-1 level and serum NO₂ ⁻ concentration in pre-eclampsic women (63.69 ± 48.33 pg/ml and 20.03 ± 4.77 μmol/L, respectively) were both significantly increased as compared with those in the normal pregnancy women (29.98 ± 20.25 pg/ml and 15.47 ± 5.47 μmol/L, respectively,P < 0.01). The neutrophil CD11b expression was significantly elevated in pre-eclampsia. The increased neutrophil activation may cause the damage of vascular endothelium and result in NO release compensatory increase in endothelial cells, suggesting that the neutrophil activation may play a key role in pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia.