Examing Consecutively The Expressions Of Leptin In Hypertensive Disorder Complicating Pregnancy

Objective: To investigate the expressions of leptin in maternal plasma and in placenta on hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy(HDCP).Methods: A prospective study was performed to forty-four pregnant women with previously normal blood pressure. Maternal blood plasma levels of leptin were detected at 10-14, 20-24, 30-34 gestational weeks and 24h after delivery by enzyme-linked immunoassay technique, and the expression and location of leptin in placenta were explored on immunohistochemistry(SP), and the expression of leptin mRNA in placenta were studied on Quantitative Fluorescent RT-PCR. Based on pregnancy outcomes, the subjects were divided into preeclamptic group(4 severe and 6 mild), and gestational hypertension group(12 cases) and healthy normal pregnant group(22 cases). At the same time fifteen healthy no pregnant women were selected as non-pregnant group.Results: The levels of maternal plasma leptin on normal healthy pregnant group were elevated with the development of pregnancy. The levels of leptin in preeclampsia were significantly higher than in healthy normal pregnant group at the same stages (P<0.01, respectively), but no change existed between gestational hypertension and normal pregnant group (P>0.05, respectively). The levels of maternal plasma leptin rapidly dropped into the levels of non -pregnancy on all subjects. The location of leptin in placentas was existed in the cytoplasm of villous syneytiotrophoblast, cytotrophoblast and vascular endothelial cells. The expressional intensions of leptin protein and mRNA in preeclampsia group were higher than in gestational hypertension (P<0.01,respectively), and the intensions in gestational hypertension group were higher than in healthy normal pregnancy group by turn (P<0.01,respectively). Conclusions: The maternal plasma levels of leptin in preeclamptic are higher than in normal healthy pregnant women in the first trimester, and leptin protein secreted by placenta were elevated following with placental hypoxia aggravated. Leptin could look as a sensitive signaling molecule of HDCP.