CXCR4/CXCR7 Protein Expression Levels in Placentas of Patients with Preeclampsia

BACKGROUND: Although preeclampsia causes maternal and infantile morbidity and mortality, its pathophysiology is unclear. We aimed to study the correlation between CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)4 and CXCR7 protein expression levels in the placentas of women with preeclampsia. MATERIAL/METHODS: The study included 42 women who delivered in Wenzhou People’s Hospital China from September 2019 to March 2020. There were 3 groups: 13 patients with gestational hypertension, 12 patients with preeclampsia, and 17 patients with normal pregnancy (control). We measured placental CXCR4 and CXCR7 levels with ELISA. We compared differences between groups with t test and ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation was used to test correlations between CXCR4 and CXCR7 protein expression levels and lag time of preeclampsia. RESULTS: The preeclampsia and gestational hypertension groups showed statistically higher levels of CXCR4 than did the control group (54.43±10.31, 51.53±9.62 vs 42.81±10.06 ng/g, respectively), with no difference between the preeclampsia and gestational hypertension groups. There were no significant differences in CXCR7 levels between the preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, and control groups. Among patients with preeclampsia, the CXCR4 level was significantly higher in the severe preeclampsia group (systolic blood pressure ≥160 and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mmHg) than in the mild hypertension group. CXCR4 and CXCR7 levels were higher in early-onset preeclampsia (<34 weeks) than in late-onset preeclampsia. CXCR4 and CXCR7 levels were not correlated with the lag time of preeclampsia. CONCLUSIONS: CXCR4 and CXCR7 protein may play roles in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.