Abstract:

Objective  To investigate the relationship of IL-17 and Th17 cells with preeclampsia. Methods  Thirty-two patients with severe preeclampsia and thirty normal pregnant women as controls were investigated. ① Expression of IL-17 mRNA in placental specimens was detected by  real-time PCR; ② Concentrations of  IL-17, IL-6 and TNFα in serum were measured by ELISA. Results  Compared with the control group,  expression of IL-17 mRNA was higher in preeclampsia placentas (P＜0.05);  levels of IL-17,IL-6 and TNF-α in maternal serum were higher in the preeclampsia group than in the controls (P＜0.01, P＜0.05, P＜0.01 respectively ); the preeclampsia group, there was a positive correlation between IL-17 and IL-6（r=0.402, P＜0.05）. Conclusions  IL-17 and Th17 cells may contribute to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of preeclampsia. IL-6 and TNF-α may also be involved in the process.

Key words: Interleukins; Th17 cell; Preeclampsia; Tumor necrosis factor-α