Decreased proportion of peripheral blood vascular endothelial growth factor-expressing T and natural killer cells in preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of circulating T and natural killer (NK) cells that express intracellular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in women with preeclampsia compared to those with a normal pregnancy.


METHODS
In all, 24 preeclamptic patients and 30 healthy pregnant women were involved in this case-control study. Intracellular VEGF expression of unstimulated lymphocytes was determined with flow cytometric examination.


RESULTS
In healthy pregnant women, the majority of both T and NK cells expressed VEGF in their cytoplasma (median, 79.9%; 25-75 percentile, 73.7-87.0 and median, 78.3%; 25-75 percentile, 64.1-85.3, respectively). Furthermore, CD4(+) helper and CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells showed a similar pattern of VEGF expression in normal pregnancy. However, the proportion of VEGF-expressing peripheral blood T (both helper and cytotoxic) and NK cells was markedly decreased in preeclampsia (for T cells: median, 51.6%; 25-75 percentile, 40.1-60.0; P < .001; for NK cells: median, 45.2%; 25-75 percentile, 27.4-64.0; P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest decreased production of VEGF by circulating T and NK cells in preeclampsia, which might contribute to the development of the generalized endothelial dysfunction characteristic of the maternal syndrome of the disease.
Molvarec
Attila
A
First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. molvarec@freemail.hu
Ito
Mika
M
Shima
Tomoko
T
Yoneda
Satoshi
S
Toldi
Gergely
G
Stenczer
Balázs
B
Vásárhelyi
Barna
B
Rigó
János
J
Saito
Shigeru
S
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A