High-mobility group box-1 release into fetal circulation from umbilical cord tissue and amniotic epithelium in fetal

Toshihiko Nakamura1, Toshirou Yoshioka1, Shingo Yamada2

  • 1Division of Neonatology, Center for Maternal Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, National Hospital Organization Nishisaitama Chuo National Hospital, Tokorozawa, Japan.

We report the case of a baby with low birthweight born by emergency caesarean section at 33 weeks 2 days' gestation due to placental abruption. High-mobility group box-1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-17 concentration in the umbilical cord blood were high at 55.7 ng/mL and 50.7 pg/mL, respectively. On immunostaining of umbilical cord and amniotic epithelium, HMGB-1 was identified in the nuclei of vascular endothelial cells and cytoplasm of the surrounding cells in the umbilical cord. This suggests that, in the present case of placental abruption and subsequent ischemic placenta and fetus, the high level of HMGB-1 observed was due to the release of HMGB-1 into the umbilical cord blood from the vascular endothelial cells of the umbilical cord.