Circulating endothelial progenitor cells during normal pregnancy and pre-eclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC), which mediates neovascularization of uterine endometrium may be involved in the neovascularization in the utero-placental circulation. We evaluated whether EPC proliferation in pre-eclampsia (PE) differed from that in normal pregnancy.


METHODS
EPC number in peripheral blood (20 non-pregnancy, 36 normal pregnancy, 10 PE) was measured using flow cytometry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell was cultured for 7 days and EPC proliferation was assessed based on detection of the uptake of acetylated low-density lipoprotein and lectin. Furthermore, the proliferative activity induced by angiotensin II (Ang II) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was measured by BrdU assay.


RESULTS
EPC number in peripheral blood did not differ significantly between PE and normal pregnancy; however, EPC proliferation was significantly increased in PE. Furthermore, Ang II and TNF-alpha induced the proliferation of EPC derived from patients with PE.


CONCLUSIONS
In PE, some factors including Ang II and TNF-alpha stimulated EPC proliferation; however, the impairment of EPC mobilization into systemic circulation by serum factors may contribute to insufficient regeneration of EC in disturbed utero-placental circulation of PE.
Matsubara
Keiichi
K
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Japan. keiichi@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Abe
Emiko
E
Matsubara
Yuko
Y
Kameda
Kenji
K
Ito
Masaharu
M
D000328:Adult; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology