In Preeclampsia, Researchers Identify Proteins that Cause Blood Vessel Damage

Proteins released by the placenta may damage blood vessels in women with preeclampsia (PE), according to an abstract presented by Yale School of Medicine researchers at the Society for Gynecologic Investigation Conference March 17 in Reno, Nevada. In PE, a complication of pregnancy linked to life-threatening increases in high blood pressure after 20 weeks of gestation, it has long been recognized that substances called “microparticles” released by the placenta damage maternal blood vessels. Researchers at Yale, led by Seth Guller, sought to detect whether specific proteins were found in microparticles.