Evaluation of plasma endothelial microparticles in pre-eclampsia

Objective To compare the antepartum and postpartum plasma concentrations of endothelial microparticles (EMPs) in patients with pre-eclampsia with those of healthy control subjects with normal pregnancies.Methods Plasma concentrations of EMPs were measured using specific antibody labelling and flow cytometry prior to delivery by caesarean section (antepartum), and again at 24 h and 72 h postpartum. The correlations between EMP concentration and mean arterial pressure (MAP), and between EMP concentration and 24-h urine protein were analysed.Results A total of 59 patients with pre-eclampsia and 60 healthy control subjects participated in the study. The antepartum plasma EMP concentration was significantly higher in patients with pre-eclampsia than in healthy control subjects with normal pregnancies (2863.5 ± 1543.1 versus 1703.0 ± 592.2 EMPs/ml, respectively); similar findings were observed at 24 h postpartum (1836.7 ± 1153.8 versus 1421.8 ± 760.2 EMPs/ml, respectively). There was no significant difference between the two groups at 72 h postpartum. The antepartum plasma EMP concentration in patients with pre-eclampsia demonstrated a significant positive correlation with MAP ( r = 0.716) and with 24-h urine protein ( r = 0.770).Conclusion Plasma EMP concentration might serve as a biomarker to evaluate the severity of pre-eclampsia in the future.