title: Increased circulating interleukin-17 levels in preeclampsia.
abstract: Increasing evidence suggests that an exaggerated maternal systemic inflammatory response and an angiogenic imbalance might play a central role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. We determined circulating levels of interleukin-17 (IL-17) along with those of angiogenic factors in healthy nonpregnant and pregnant women and preeclamptic patients, and examined whether serum IL-17 levels of preeclamptic patients were related to their clinical features and angiogenic factor concentrations. Fifty-nine preeclamptic patients, 60 healthy pregnant women and 56 healthy nonpregnant women were involved in this case-control study. Serum levels of IL-17A were measured using a high-sensitivity ELISA. Serum total soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and biologically active placental growth factor (PlGF) levels were determined by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. For statistical analyses, nonparametric methods were applied. Serum IL-17 levels were significantly higher in preeclamptic patients than in healthy nonpregnant and pregnant women. We did not find any relationship between serum IL-17 concentrations of preeclamptic patients and their clinical features and serum sFlt-1 and PlGF levels or sFlt-1/PlGF ratios. However, elevated serum IL-17 level and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio were found to have an additive effect on the risk of preeclampsia, as shown by the substantially higher odds ratios of a combination of the two than of either alone. In conclusion, serum IL-17 levels are increased in preeclampsia, which may contribute to the development of the excessive systemic inflammatory response characteristic of the maternal syndrome of the disease. In addition, elevated serum IL-17 level and sFlt-1/PlGF ratio had an additive (joint) effect on the risk of preeclampsia.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. Electronic address: molvarec@freemail.hu.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molvarec
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Ibolya
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Czegle
authors.affiliation: Central Laboratory, National Institute of Psychiatry and Addictions, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szijártó
authors.affiliation: First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: János
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rigó
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: C508717:IL17A protein, human; D020381:Interleukin-17; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C098069:PIGF protein, human; C501162:FLT1 protein, human; D040281:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1
keywords: Angiogenesis; Inflammation; Interleukin-17; Preeclampsia; Pregnancy; Th17