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Updated: May 5, 2026
Author Spotlight: Modeling an Aspect of Preeclampsia in Female Mice Using Hypoxic Human Placenta-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: January 26, 2024
Evaluation of plasma endothelial microparticles in pre-eclampsia
Li Ling1, Huaping Huang, Lingyun Zhu
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China.
Objective:
To compare the antepartum and postpartum plasma concentrations of endothelial microparticles (EMPs) in patients with pre-eclampsia with those of healthy control subjects with normal pregnancies.
Methods:
Plasma concentrations of EMPs were measured using specific antibody labelling and flow cytometry prior to delivery by caesarean section (antepartum), and again at 24 h and 72 h postpartum. The correlations between EMP concentration and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and between EMP concentration and 24-h urine protein were analysed.
Results:
A total of 59 patients with pre-eclampsia and 60 healthy control subjects participated in the study. The antepartum plasma EMP concentration was significantly higher in patients with pre-eclampsia than in healthy control subjects with normal pregnancies (2863.5 ± 1543.1 versus 1703.0 ± 592.2 EMPs/ml, respectively); similar findings were observed at 24 h postpartum (1836.7 ± 1153.8 versus 1421.8 ± 760.2 EMPs/ml, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups at 72 h postpartum. The antepartum plasma EMP concentration in patients with pre-eclampsia demonstrated a significant positive correlation with MAP (r = 0.716) and with 24-h urine protein (r = 0.770).
Conclusion:
Plasma EMP concentration might serve as a biomarker to evaluate the severity of pre-eclampsia in the future.
