Dysregulation of complement system in HELLP syndrome

ABSTRACT

Objective

To investigate the expression of complement system’s activation factors in patients with HELLP syndrome.

Methods

A case–control study was performed. Sixteen HELLP syndrome patients, 32 severe preeclampsia patients, and 48 normal pregnancy women were involved in this studyELISA was used to test C1q, C4d, MBL, Bb, C3a, C5a, sC5b-9, s-Endoglin, and sflt-1 in the plasma.

Results

The levels of C5a (P < 0.01) and sC5b-9 (P = 0.014) in HELLP syndrome were higher than those in severe preeclampsia patients.

Conclusions

The abnormal activation of the complement system is more significant in the pathogenesis of HELLP syndrome than in severe preeclampsia.

KEYWORDS:

• HELLP syndrome
• preeclampsia
• complement system
• pathogenesis

Authors’ contributions

Study design: Shi Chen, Yingdong He, Qian Chen; Recruitment and collection of samples: Shi Chen, Zheng Li, Yingdong He; Data analysis: Yingdong He; Manuscript preparation: Yingdong He, Qian Chen; Manuscript editing and review: Yingdong He, Qian Chen

Consent to participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Ethics approval

All procedures in this study that involved human participants were performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81601303) and (No. 82071668).