Interleukins in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a multisystemic disorder of unknown etiology. Recently, endothelial damage has been implicated in its cause. The objective of this study was to determine the role of interleukins in the etiology of preeclampsia.

Thirty-two primigravidas with preeclampsia but without any clinical evidence of infection and 32 age-matched primigravidas with uncomplicated normal pregnancies were investigated. Phlebotomy was performed at 32 weeks of gestation and blood collected for immunoassays of interleukin-2 (IL2), interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), using commercially available immunoassay kits.

Although the maternal plasma concentrations of IL-2 and IL-2R were slightly higher in normal pregnant women (76.3+/-13.7 pg/mL and 526.3+/-47.1 pg/mL, respectively) than in women with preeclampsia (57.8+/-10.8 pg/mL and 476.9+/-33.9 pg/mL, respectively), the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). However, maternal plasma IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations were significantly higher (P<0.05) in normal pregnancy (158.0+/-35.4 pg/mL and 5163.6+/-800 pg/mL, respectively) than in pregnancy complicated with preeclampsia (60.0+/-13.7 pg/mL and 2495.8+/-729.4 pg/mL, respectively). On the other hand, maternal plasma concentration of IL-10 was significantly higher (P<0.05) in preeclampsia (93.2+/-24.1 pg/mL) than in normal pregnancy (31.07+/-7.0 pg/mL).

It is concluded that the elevated maternal plasma IL-10 concentration in preeclampsia may be a protective response to maternal immunorejection.