Tumor necrosis factor and in pre-eclamptic patients

ABSTRACT

65 women with preeclampsia defined as a diastolic blood pressure >/ 90 mmHg and proteinuria > 0.3 g/L, occurring after 20 weeks of gestative. 18 women had hemodialysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count [HELLP syndrome], other 25 pregnat women who remained normotensive and norproteinuric throughout pregnancy. Tumor necrosis factor alpha was determined in all patients by the colorimetric MTT assay. TNF alpha was detectable in 52 preeclamptic patients compared with 11 normotensive pregnant women [P <0.001]. TNF alpha was detectable in all patients with HELLP syndrome, and plasma concentration were significantly higher than in patients with preeclampsia without HELLP and in normotensive pregnant women [P <0.001]