Cj. Clark et al., LOCOMOTION OF HUMAN NEUTROPHILS IN RESPONSE TO PLASMA AND SERUM OF WOMEN WITH PREECLAMPSIA, Hypertension in pregnancy, 15(2), 1996, pp. 229-240
Objective: To examine whether the previously reported neutrophil activ
ation which occurs in the maternal circulation of women with preeclamp
sia is due to a factor(s) in plasma/serum which increases neutrophil l
ocomotion. Methods: The locomotory responses of human neutrophils to p
lasma/serum of women with preeclampsia were compared with normal, preg
nant women matched for maternal age and gestational age at blood sampl
ing. Twelve patients from each group were studied. Preeclampsia was de
fined as persistent diastolic blood pressure > 90 mm Hg, with proteinu
ria > 0.3 g/24 h, in patients who were normotensive before 20 weeks ge
station. A simple microcomputer-based system for real-time analysis of
neutrophil behavior in vitro was used to measure the dynamic paramete
rs of locomotion. Locomotion of human neutrophils in response to plasm
a, serum (20%), and heat-inactivated serum from both groups of patient
s was measured. Serum was heat inactivated to destroy complement-deriv
ed chemotactic activity. Main Outcome Measures: Speed, persistence, an
d diffusion coefficient to describe the behavior of randomly moving ce
lls. Results: A significant stimulation of neutrophil locomotion in re
sponse to plasma, serum (20%), and heat-inactivated serum occurred in
both groups compared with control cells incubated with phosphate-buffe
red saline; however, no significant differences were found in response
;to these three stimuli between the two groups of patients. Conclusion
: These studies found no evidence of a humoral factor in the plasma/se
rum of women with preeclampsia which alters the locomotion of human ne
utrophils. The existence of such a potential factor may be revealed, h
owever, upon examination of subsequent stages of neutrophil activation
, namely adhesion to endothelial cells and/or neutrophil metabolic act
ivation.