Increased leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelium in preeclampsia is inhibited by antioxidants.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that plasma from women with preeclampsia increases leukocyte adhesion to vascular endothelial cells and that antioxidants inhibit this effect.


METHODS
Plasma from 12 women with severe preeclampsia and 12 with normal pregnancy was tested in an in vitro leukocyte-endothelium adhesion assay in the presence or absence of vitamin E, vitamin C, or N-acetylcysteine.


RESULTS
Preeclamptic plasma significantly increased monocyte (U937 cells) and T-cell (Jurkat) adhesion to human umbilical vein (HUVEC) and microvascular endothelial cells, compared with normal pregnant plasma. The antioxidants vitamin E, vitamin C, and N-acetylcysteine significantly inhibited monocyte adhesion to HUVEC in the presence of preeclamptic but not normal pregnant plasma. Increased adhesion in response to preeclamptic plasma was not mediated through a protein kinase C (PKC) mechanism, because the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide I had no effect on adhesion in the presence of preeclamptic plasma.


CONCLUSIONS
Severe preeclampsia is associated with increased leukocyte-endothelium adhesion and clinically useful antioxidants can inhibit this effect.
Ryu
Seongho
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Huppmann
Alison R
AR
Sambangi
Nirmala
N
Takacs
Peter
P
Kauma
Scott W
SW
D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000975:Antioxidants; D015415:Biomarkers