Blood Immunophenotyping in Prediction of Gestational Hypertensive Conditions

Background: Hypertensive conditions during pregnancy, such as preeclampsia (PE), are multisystem obstetric complications, accompanied by changes in the immunological status. Although several types of immune cells are involved in pathogenesis of preeclampsia, such as regulatory T cells, macrophages, natural killer cells, and neutrophils, most studies have focused on the concentration of circulating cytokines. Much less is known about intracellular cytokine production at the level of individual groups of peripheral blood immune cells. This gap limits our understanding of the early immunological changes that precede the clinical manifestation of the disease. Thus, the study of intracellular cytokine production in various leukocyte populations may provide new biomarkers for predicting preeclampsia. Objectives: To test the hypothesis that women with preeclampsia exhibit distinct intracellular cytokine profiles in specific peripheral blood immune cell subsets compared with normotensive pregnant women, and to assess whether these differences could serve as potential biomarkers for disease prediction. Methods: The study included a total of 78 pregnant women admitted to labor with physiological pregnancy (n = 32) and with gestational hypertension (GH) (n = 39) and PE (n = 7). The multicolor immunophenotyping with intracellular cytokine production of TNF, GM-CSF, IGF and receptor VEGFR-2 by different immunocompetent cell types was evaluated on a BD FACS CALIBUR flow cytometer. Results: Flow cytometry revealed a marked increase in the proportion of CD8⁺ GM-CSF⁺, CD56⁺VEGFR2⁺, CD14⁺IL-10⁺, and CD19⁺IGF⁺ cells in both hypertensive groups versus controls (p < 0.001). In contrast, CD56⁺TNF⁺ levels were significantly reduced (p < 0.001). For differentiating PE from GH, CD56+VEGFR2+ and CD19+IGF+ should be prioritized (AUC~0.66–0.78) with good specificity and moderate sensitivity. Conclusions: These data will not only expand existing knowledge about the role of intracellular cytokines in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia, but will also help to obtain new markers for predicting preeclampsia.