Serum levels of YKL-40 and interleukin-18 and their relationship to disease severity in patients with preeclampsia

Hyun Joo Seol, Eun Sung Lee, So Eun Jung, Nan Hee Jeong, Ji Eun Lim, Sung Hoon Park, Soon Cheol Hong, Min Jeong Oh, Hai Joong Kim

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22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a disease associated with the maternal inflammatory response. YKL-40 and interleukin-18 (IL-18) are inflammatory markers involved in inflammatory states and vascular processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum levels of YKL-40 and IL-18 in preeclampsia. Twenty-four patients with preeclampsia and 13 healthy pregnant women were included in this study. Serum levels of YKL-40 and IL-18 were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serum YKL-40 levels were significantly higher in patients with preeclampsia (median 75.0 ng/mL; range 45.8-125.4 ng/mL) than in normal pregnant women (median 29.3 ng/mL; range 16.2-39.5 ng/mL; p = 0.000). Serum IL-18 levels were also significantly higher in patients with preeclampsia (median 159.9 pg/mL; range 125.6-193.5 pg/mL) than in normal pregnant women (median 120.2 pg/mL; range 102.2-157.9 pg/mL; p = 0.018). Notably, higher serum YKL-40 levels were observed in patients with more severe proteinuria (≥3+ by dipstick) than in patients with milder proteinuria (≤1+ by dipstick; median 121.3 ng/mL, range 63.5-146.7 ng/mL versus median 55.4 ng/mL, range 29.4-116.3 ng/mL; p = 0.022). There was, however, no significant difference in serum IL-18 levels between patients with more severe proteinuria and those with milder proteinuria. We conclude that circulating YKL-40 and IL-18 are elevated in patients with preeclampsia, and levels of YKL-40 are related to the severity of the disease.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)183-187
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Reproductive Immunology
Volume79
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2009 Jan

Keywords

  • Interleukin-18
  • Preeclampsia
  • YKL-40

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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