Significantly higher number of fetal cells in the maternal circulation of women with pre‐eclampsia

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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