Increased expression of Neprilysin is associated with inflammation in Preeclampsia

Abstract Background Preeclampsia (PE) is associated with a finely tuned equilibrium between trophoblast cell invasion and fetal-maternal immunological tolerance. An imbalance between pro-inflammatory (IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines is a hallmark of PE. Furthermore, Neprilysin (NEP), a membrane-bound metalloprotease (MME), is vulnerable to an inflammatory environment, a crucial component of PE and plays a significant role in modulating vascular tone. Objectives to determine the correlation between NEP (mRNA and protein) level and inflammatory status in patients with preeclampsia compared with healthy pregnant. Identify the role of NEP in evaluating the severity of preeclampsia as well. Methods 52 pregnant women with preeclampsia were the study group, and 52 pregnant women with normo-tension were the control group. After a caesarean section, placental tissue samples from patients and controls were collected to measure the expression levels of mRNA for IL-6, TGF-, IL-10, and NEP. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to check the quantity of NEP protein in the blood samples that were obtained. Prism Graph-Pad Software 5.03 was used to conduct the statistical analysis. Results Our research revealed a significant positive correlation among NEP (mRNA and protein) and proinflammatory markers (IL-6, TGF-) levels in patients compared to controls and a significant inverse correlation between NEP and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10). Additionally, this is the first study to find a strong positive correlation between NEP level and preeclampsia severity. Conclusion In PE patients, there is a substantial relationship between NEP and the degree of inflammation. Additionally, NEP inhibitors can be used to treat PE and improve prognosis.