Title:Membrane and Soluble Forms of Endoglin in Preeclampsia
Volume: 13
Issue: 8
Author(s): B. Oujo, F. Perez-Barriocanal, C. Bernabeu and J. M. Lopez-Novoa
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Endoglin, endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, hypoxia, oxidative stress, placenta, preeclampsia,
soluble endoglin.
Abstract: Preeclampsia is a disease of high incidence in pregnant women which complicates pregnancy and
may lead to the death of mother and baby. Preeclampsia is characterized by a series of clinical features such
as hypertension and proteinuria associated with endothelial dysfunction. Although the causes of disease have
not been elucidated, it has been reported that high levels of endoglin, a TGF-β auxiliary co-receptor, and a
soluble form of this protein, occur respectively in the placenta and plasma of women who develop the disease.
In this review, the alterations in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis that occur during preeclampsia, the cellular
and molecular mechanisms that lead to increased membrane bound endoglin expression and soluble endoglin
release, including hypoxia and oxidative stress, and the possible pathogenic role of soluble endoglin in this
disease have been analyzed.
