Abstract:

Objective To investigate the expression of C-typed lectin receptors of dendritic cells specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) and mannose receptor (MR) and Toll-like receptors (TLR) of TLR-2 and TLR-4 in placenta tissues in patients with pre-eclampsia (PE). Methods The placenta tissues were obtained from patients with severe pre-eclampsia (PE group, n=20) and normal pregnant women (NP group, n=20). The expression of DC-SIGN, MR, TLR-2 and TLR-4 in placenta tissues was localized by immunohistochemistry, and the expression of DC-SIGN, MR, TLR-2 and TLR-4 protein in placenta tissues was detected by Western blotting. Results There was expression of DC-SIGN, MR, TLR-2 and TLR-4 in syncytiotrophoblasts and cytotrophoblasts of placenta tissues in both groups, and the majority was in syncytiotrophoblasts. The expression of TLR-4 in placenta tissues in PE group was significantly higher than that in NP group （P<0.01）, the expression of DC-SIGN and MR in placenta tissues in PE group was significantly lower than that in PE group (P<0.01, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the expression of TLR-2 in placenta tissues between two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Compared with normal pregnant women, the expression of C-typed lectin receptors of DC-SIGN and MR is lower, while the expression of TLR-4 is abnormally higher in placenta tissues in patients with PE. The imbalance between these two receptors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PE.

Key words: pre-eclampsia, placenta, C-type lectin receptors, Toll-like receptors