Significantly higher number of fetal cells in the maternal circulation of women with pre-eclampsia |
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Authors: | Mieke W J C Jansen Karin Korver-Hakkennes Dik van Leenen Willy Visser Peter A in 't Veld Christianne J M de Groot Juriy W Wladimiroff |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Erasmus University and University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands;2. Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands |
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Abstract: | Although the pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia is unknown, several studies have indicated that abnormal placentation early in pregnancy might play a key role. It has recently been suggested that this abnormal placentation may result in transfusion of fetal cells (feto-maternal transfusion) in women with pre-eclampsia. In the present study, fetal nucleated red blood cells were isolated from 20 women with pre-eclampsia and 20 controls using a very efficient magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) protocol. The number of male cells was determined using two-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for X and Y chromosomes. Significantly more XY cells could be detected in women with pre-eclampsia (0.61±1.2 XY cells/ml blood) compared to women with uncomplicated pregnancies (0.02±0.04 XY cells/ml blood) (Mann–Whitney U-test, p<0.001). These results suggest that fetal cell trafficking is enhanced in women with pre-eclampsia, and this finding may contribute to the understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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Keywords: | fetal cells maternal blood nucleated red blood cells pre-eclampsia feto-maternal transfusion |
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