[P-selectin as endothelial reactivity marker in patients with pre-eclampsia]. / P-selectina como marcador de reactividad endotelial en pacientes con preeclampsia.

INTRODUCTION: Pre-eclampsia affects 5% of all pregnancies. The physiopathologic hallmark is altered endothelium function and platelet activation. Selectins are molecules involved with the regulation between these systems, P-selectin is a molecule expressed in platelet membrane. Our objective was to describe the role of P-selectin on endothelial reactivity in patients with pre-eclampsia compared with normal pregnancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Blood samples from 30 patients with severe pre-eclampsia (cases) were compared with patients with 30 normal pregnancies during labor (controls). Samples from both groups were analyzed using ELISA (Bender Med kit, Vienna, Austria) for determination of P-selectin. RESULTS: We compared main clinical, biochemical, and hematologic variables in both groups, identifying an outstanding difference in expression of P-selectin between them. CONCLUSIONS: P-selectin is a marker of endothelium activation in patients with severe pre-eclampsia.