Related Experiment Videos
The role of the endogenous anti-inflammatory compound gravidin in pre-eclampsia
I P Crocker1, R P Wellings, R G Hayman
1Medical Research Centre, Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust, and the School of Human Development, Nottingham University, Nottingham, UK.
Objectives:
The study's aims were to investigate the levels of gravidin, an endogenous phospholipase A2 inhibitor, in pregnancy and pre-eclampsia and to establish its effects on neutrophil function.
Study Design:
Serum samples were collected from 9 nonpregnant, 15 preeclamptic, and 10 healthy pregnant women and assayed for free gravidin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Neutrophil phospholipase A2 and respiratory burst activities were determined in the presence of isolated free gravidin by cellular arachidonic acid release and superoxide anion production.
Results:
Levels of free gravidin were higher in the healthy pregnant (36.1 +/- 5.5 ng/mL) and preeclamptic (17.8 +/- 2.8 ng/mL) groups than in the nonpregnant control group (3.9 +/- 0.5 ng/mL) and were significantly different between pregnancy groups (P <.01, Mann-Whitney U test). Free gravidin caused a concentration dependent decrease in N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated neutrophil arachidonic acid release (inhibitory concentration of 50% 25 nmol/L) and superoxide anion generation (inhibitory concentration of 50% 32 nmol/L).
Conclusions:
Circulating levels of free gravidin are reduced in pre-eclampsia compared with normal pregnancy. This may encourage an increase in the respiratory burst of neutrophils in pre-eclampsia and could contribute to the oxidative stress and vascular damage that characterize this disease.