The role of platelet microvesicles in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia

Abstract

Among the diverse picture of preeclampsia, the hematological component, thrombocytopenia, attracts attention. Platelets are able to form microvesicles by “budding” the plasma membrane from the cell surface during apoptosis, stimulation, and also in a small amount in normal conditions. The membrane of these particles has a negative charge and contains phospholipids and an integral glycoprotein on the outer monolayer, due to which platelet microvesicles are involved in the process of blood coagulation and angiogenesis. Microvesicles are of platelet origin, they were first discovered in the middle of the last century in England when describing the phenomenon of plasma and serum coagulation in the absence of platelets in them. The number of platelet microvesicles dynamically changes during the formation of preeclampsia in pregnant women and in women with risk factors for the development of preeclampsia, which include obesity, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, antiphospholipid syndrome. Exposure to these risk factors for preeclampsia before pregnancy leads to a change in the concentration of cells that produce microvesicles, which in turn can create conditions favorable for the development of preeclampsia during pregnancy. A special risk group are women with a history of preeclampsia. Taking into account the direct role of microvesicles in the processes of angiogenesis and blood coagulation, the study of these particles will allow a more detailed study of the pathophysiological aspects of the preeclampsia development, which will expand the possibilities for early prediction of this pathology and improvement of perinatal outcomes.

Keywords

preeclampsia / platelets / microvesicles / review

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