Effect of preeclampsia on umbilical cord blood hematopoietic progenitor-stem cells.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of preeclampsia on cord blood hematopoietic progenitor-stem cells obtained at delivery because cord blood is increasingly used clinically for stem cell retrieval as an alternative to bone marrow.


METHODS
Umbilical cord blood was collected from patients fulfilling the criteria for preeclampsia and from gestational age- and birth weight-matched control subjects at delivery (patient/control subjects ratio, 1:2). Cord blood volume and nucleated cell content were measured, and the number of hematopoietic progenitor-stem cells was determined by means of fluorescence-activated cell sorting with the CD34(+) epitope and by means of colony assays with different hematopoietic growth factors. In addition, the expression of adhesion molecules by CD34(+) progenitor-stem cells was examined.


RESULTS
In pregnancies affected by preeclampsia, volume and nucleated cell and total CD34(+) cell contents in the collected cord blood were significantly smaller compared with those of control subjects. Furthermore, there was a trend toward a smaller relative number of CD34(+) cells and colony-forming units per nucleated cell in cord blood samples from preeclamptic patients. No difference in the expression of the cell-adhesion molecules leukocyte function-associated antigen 1, very late activation antigen 4, and L-selectin by CD34(+) cells could be found.


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that preeclampsia affects umbilical cord blood volume and nucleated cell and progenitor-stem cell numbers obtained at birth.
Surbek
D V
DV
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Basel, Switzerland.
Danzer
E
E
Steinmann
C
C
Tichelli
A
A
Wodnar-Filipowicz
A
A
Hahn
S
S
Holzgreve
W
W
D000328:Adult; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000032:analysis; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001810:Blood Volume; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values
D018952:Antigens, CD34