Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Tokyo, Japan.
Am J Reprod Immunol. 2011 Aug;66(2):143-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0897.2010.00975.x. Epub 2011 Jan 18.
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by systemic inflammation. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a molecule known to act as a 'danger signal' by participating in various inflammatory processes, but data in regard to preeclampsia are sparse. The aim of this study was to analyze placental and serum HMGB1 levels in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia.
Sera were collected from women with preeclampsia soon after the manifestation of the disease and before commencing any medication. Placental samples were collected immediately after delivery. Expressed isoforms of HMGB1 (28- and 30-kDa) in the placenta were evaluated by Western blot analysis. Serum HMGB1 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).
Two isoforms of HMGB1 are expressed by the human placenta. The 28- and 30-kDa HMGB1 isoforms were expressed highly in preeclamptic placental tissue; however, compared with normotensive control tissue, differences in detected expression levels did not reach statistical significance. No significant difference was observed in serum HMGB1 levels between control and preeclampsia.
Inflammation provoked by HMGB1 is likely to be involved in the proinflammatory process in preeclamptic placenta. Further studies are needed to elucidate the precise role of HMGB1 in preeclampsia.
子痫前期是一种以全身炎症为特征的妊娠疾病。高迁移率族蛋白 B1（HMGB1）是一种已知的“危险信号”分子，通过参与各种炎症过程发挥作用，但关于子痫前期的数据很少。本研究旨在分析正常妊娠和子痫前期患者胎盘和血清中 HMGB1 水平。
采集子痫前期患者疾病表现后不久且尚未开始任何药物治疗时的血清。胎盘样本在分娩后立即采集。通过 Western blot 分析评估胎盘表达的 HMGB1（28-和 30-kDa）同工型。使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）测量血清 HMGB1 浓度。
人胎盘表达两种 HMGB1 同工型。28-和 30-kDa HMGB1 同工型在子痫前期胎盘组织中高表达；然而，与正常血压对照组组织相比，检测到的表达水平差异没有达到统计学意义。对照组和子痫前期患者血清 HMGB1 水平无显著差异。
HMGB1 引起的炎症可能参与了子痫前期胎盘的促炎过程。需要进一步研究阐明 HMGB1 在子痫前期中的确切作用。
