Hypoxia promotes interleukin-6 and -8 but reduces interleukin-10 production by placental trophoblast cells from preeclamptic pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE

Placental hypoxia and altered placental cytokine productions have been considered to play a significant role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia. The objective of this study was to determine whether hypoxia could modify interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and IL-10 production by placental trophoblast cells (TCs) from normal and preeclamptic (PE) pregnancies.

METHODS

Placentas were obtained from nine normal and nine PE pregnancies immediately after delivery. Placental TCs were isolated and cultured under normoxic (21% O(2)/air) and hypoxic (2% O(2)/5% CO(2)/92% N(2)) conditions for 48 hours. TC productions of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Unpaired t tests or paired t test was used for the statistical analysis and data are expressed as means +/- SE (pg/mug cellular protein). A P value less than .05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

PE-TCs produced significantly more IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10 than those of normal-TCs when they were cultured under normoxic condition, P < .05. Both normal-TCs and PE-TCs produced more IL-6 and IL-8 when they were cultured under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia reduced IL-10 production by PE-TCs, but had no effect on IL-10 production by normal-TCs.

CONCLUSIONS

Hypoxia promotes both IL-6 and IL-8 but reduces IL-10 production by placental TCs from PE pregnancies.