title: Neutrophil activation and C-reactive protein concentration in preeclampsia.
abstract: Preeclamptic pregnancies seem to be associated with a higher extent of inflammation compared with normal ones. We intended to test this proposal and also to clarify the contribution of some variables in such inflammatory process. We measured total and differential leukocyte count, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), and plasma levels of lactoferrin, elastase, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Uric acid was also evaluated and used as an indicator of the severity of the disease. A cross-sectional study was performed by evaluating healthy and preeclamptic women in the third trimester of gestation (n = 67 and n = 51, respectively) and 24 to 48 h postpartum (n = 32 and n = 26, respectively). When comparing the third trimester of normal and preeclamptic pregnancies, we found significantly higher levels of uric acid, CRP, and elastase, and a significantly higher elastase to neutrophil ratio in the pathologic group. However, for CRP, statistical significance was lost after adjustment for maternal weight. No significant differences were found in total leukocyte count, plasma levels of GM-CSF, and lactoferrin between groups. In preeclampsia, a significant positive correlation was found between elastase and lactoferrin and these neutrophil activation products correlated positively with uric acid level. Considering the analysis of all variables in the postpartum period, only CRP and uric acid levels were significantly elevated in the pathologic group. However, CRP differences obtained in the puerperium seem to be influenced by the increased number of dystocic deliveries in the preeclamptic group. In conclusion, our data suggest that inflammation is further pronounced in preeclampsia and that the extent of neutrophil activation correlates with the severity of this syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal. luis_fbelo@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Belo
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santos-Silva
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caslake
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooney
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pereira-Leite
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quintanilha
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rebelo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000032:analysis*; D007781:Lactoferrin / Q000097:blood; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000502:physiology*; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000097:blood; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D014527:Uric Acid; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D007781:Lactoferrin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase