Department of Medical Oncology, Erasmus MC-Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Cytometry B Clin Cytom. 2010 Nov;78(6):382-6. doi: 10.1002/cyto.b.20537.
Preeclampsia is a disease hypothesized to originate from widespread endothelial dysfunction or damage. This study investigated whether circulating endothelial cells (CEC) can serve as a surrogate marker for disease severity in patients with preeclampsia, and if their number correlates to serum endothelial biomarkers for activation, dysfunction, or damage of those cells.
Blood was drawn consecutively from 30 patients admitted with a diagnosis of severe preeclampsia. Thirty healthy, normotensive, patients matched for age, body mass index, and gestational age served as a control group. We determined the number of CEC and serum concentrations of biomarkers indicative of endothelial damage (thrombomodulin) and activation (E-selectin), and the antiangiogenic protein (endoglin), which reflects endothelial dysfunction.
Median CEC counts did not differ significantly between preeclamptic patients and the control group (median 5.3 vs. 3.5 CEC/mL, respectively) and were mostly within the normal range (i.e., <20 CEC/mL). However, serum concentrations of thrombomodulin (median 3.6 vs. 5.2 ng/mL; P = 0.006), E-selectin (median 32.0 vs. 42.9 ng/mL; P = 0.02), and especially endoglin (median 5.0 vs. 76.2 ng/mL; P < 0.0001) were significantly increased in severe preeclamptic patients. CEC counts did not correlate with any of the clinical parameters or routinely determined laboratory indices.
Preeclampsia is characterized by endothelial dysfunction and activation rather than actual endothelial damage as characterized by increased CEC counts.
子痫前期被认为起源于广泛的内皮功能障碍或损伤。本研究旨在探讨循环内皮细胞（CEC）是否可作为子痫前期患者疾病严重程度的替代标志物，以及其数量是否与血清内皮细胞激活、功能障碍或损伤的生物标志物相关。
连续采集 30 例因重度子痫前期入院患者的血液。30 例年龄、体重指数和孕龄相匹配的健康、血压正常的患者作为对照组。我们测定了 CEC 的数量以及反映内皮功能障碍的血清生物标志物（血栓调节蛋白）和内皮激活（E-选择素）及抗血管生成蛋白（内皮糖蛋白）的浓度。
子痫前期患者和对照组的 CEC 计数中位数无显著差异（分别为 5.3 与 3.5 CEC/mL），且大多处于正常范围（即<20 CEC/mL）。然而，子痫前期患者血清中血栓调节蛋白（中位数 3.6 与 5.2 ng/mL；P=0.006）、E-选择素（中位数 32.0 与 42.9 ng/mL；P=0.02）和内皮糖蛋白（中位数 5.0 与 76.2 ng/mL；P<0.0001）的浓度显著升高。CEC 计数与任何临床参数或常规测定的实验室指标均无相关性。
子痫前期的特征是内皮功能障碍和激活，而不是以 CEC 计数增加为特征的实际内皮损伤。
