Preeclamptic sera induce nephrin shedding from podocytes through endothelin-1 release by endothelial glomerular cells.

In preeclampsia (PE), proteinuria has been associated with a reduced expression of nephrin by podocytes. In the present study, we investigated in vitro on human cultured podocytes the mechanism responsible for nephrin loss in PE. Sera from patients with PE did not directly downregulate the expression of nephrin.