Expression of NF-κ B in placenta of preeclampsia and its relationship with changes of cytokines

Objective To investigate the expression of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB) in placenta of preeclampsia and its relationship with the changes of cytokines. Methods One hundred and twenty late pregnant patients in Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in People's Hospital of Hainan Province were recruited: 40 normal pregnant women(the control group) and 80 preeclampsia patients(the preeclampsia group, 40 with mild preeclampsia and 40 with severe preeclampsia). Expression of placenta NF-κB p65, VCAM-1, IκB-α and Bcl-1 were determined by immunofluorescence. Serum TNF-α, VCAM-1 and IL-4 levels before delivery were detected by ELISA. The preeclampsia group and the control group were analyzed statistically to determine whether the results were statistically significant. Results Compared with the control group, the levels of placenta NF-κB p65, VCAM-1 in preeclampsia group were significantly elevated, while the levels of IκB-α and Bcl-1 in preeclampsia group were significantly decreased(P0.05). The levels of serum TNF-α, VCAM-1 in preeclampsia group were significantly higher than those in the control group(P0.05), while the level of serum IL-4 was significantly decreased(P0.05). Conclusion The placenta NF-κ B of preeclampsia is activated and enhanced, closely related with the expression of cytokines, which involved in the immune inflammatory reaction and placental cell injury, and accelerates the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.