ABSTRACT
Heat shock protein 70 [Hsp 70], a marker of cellular stress, was suggested to be elevated in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia. Adverse pregnancy outcomes [APOs] are a group of common obstetric diseases and many studies have been conducted in an effort to clarify their risk factors It is well known that these risk factors can induce the synthesis of a group of highly conserved proteins, called heat shock proteins [Hsps]. The aim of the study was to measure serum heat shock protein [Hsp]70 in mothers with pre-eclampsia and adverse pregnancy outcomes [APOs] and to evaluate whether it can be applied as a useful indicator for the development of these conditions. Eighty pregnant women were included in this study [20 pre-eclamptic women, 20 women with threatened preterm labor, 20 women with intrauterine growth restriction and 20 healthy women with non-complicated pregnancy]. After obtaining informed consent, serum samples were collected from all participants to measure Hsp70 levels. The levels of Hsp 70 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Measurement of serum Hsp 70 levels showed statistically higher values among pre-eclamptic patients compared to preterm, Intrauterine growth restriction [IUGR] and control groups [24.6 +/- 12.7 ng/ml, 15.l +/- 5.4 ng/ml, 14.3 +/- 6.1 ng/ml, 11 .7 +/- 4.9 ng/ml respectively, p