SERA OF PREECLAMPTIC WOMEN ARE NOT CYTOTOXIC TO ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS IN CULTURE

OBJECTIVE: The null hypothesis of this study was that sera of women wi th preeclampsia are not cytotoxic to endothelial cells in culture. STU DY DESIGN: Endothelial cells were incubated in the presence of sera (3 0% vol/vol) of either preeclamptic patients (n = 11) or normal pregnan t women (n = 11). Release of chromium 51 from prelabeled cells was mea sured after exposure to the different sera. Viability of the cells was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion and plating efficiencies. Deoxyrib onucleic acid and protein synthesis were studied by measuring incorpor ation of tritiated thymidine and leucine into deoxyribonucleic acid an d proteins, respectively. Cell growth was determined by monitoring the number of cells per culture dish during a 5-day incubation period. RE SULTS: Release of chromium 51 from endothelial cells incubated in the presence of sera from preeclamptic women was similar to controls (26.3 % +/- 4.7% vs 26.7% +/- 2.5%). There was no difference in the number o f trypan blue-positive cells in cultures incubated in the presence of sera from preeclamptic women and controls. Seeding the cells in either sera from preeclamptic or control women gave the same percentage bf a ttached cells. Similarly, preincubation of endothelial cells with eith er one of the two sera resulted in the same number of attached cells w hen they were reseeded (45% +/- 6% vs 40% +/- 15%, respectively). Incu bation of endothelial cells with sera from preeclamptic or control wom en affected neither deoxyribonucleic acid nor protein synthesis of the endothelial cells. Furthermore, cell proliferation was similar in cul tures incubated with sera from preeclamptic women and controls. CONCLU SION: No evidence was found that sera of women with preeclampsia are c ytotoxic to endothelial cells in culture.