The relationships between leptin and inflammatory cytokines in women with pre-eclampsia

Objective To compare maternal serum leptin concentration in women with pre-eclampsia and women with normal pregnancy, and to evaluate the relationships between leptin and several inflammatory cytokines.

Design Prospective clinical study.

Setting University Hospital of Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.

Sample Twenty-seven women with pre-eclampsia and 25 normotensive pregnant women.

Methods Maternal serum levels of TNF-α, TGF-β1, interleukin 6, and leptin were measured using a commercially available immunoassay.

Main outcome measures Maternal serum levels of leptin and its relationship to levels of TNF-α, TGF-β1 and interleukin 6.

Results Maternal serum leptin levels were higher in women with pre-eclampsia, but this difference was of borderline statistical significance (median 15.9ng/mL; interquartile range (5.4–31.9) vs 30.5ng/mL (13.9–64) (P=0.05). The concentration of maternal serum leptin was correlated with pre-gestational and gestational body mass index (r=0.45, P=0.03; r=0.44, P=0.04), TNF-α concentration (r=0.57, P=0.002) and interleukin-6 level (r=0.46, P=0.02) in women with normal pregnancy. In women with pre-eclampsia, only a significant correlation between maternal serum leptin level and TNF-α concentration (0.47, P=0.01) was found.

Conclusions The level of maternal serum leptin is increased and correlates positively with the level of TNF-α in women with pre-eclampsia. In women with a normal pregnancy leptin levels not only correlate with TNF-α, but also with IL-6 and body mass index.