The role of Tenascin-C in HIV associated pre-eclampsia.

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia (PE) accounts for 14.8% of maternal deaths in South Africa. Tenascin C (TN-C) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine expressed in the extracellular matrix and may be dysregulated in the hyperinflammatory PE microenvironment.

Material And Methods: This study examined serum TN-C in normotensive pregnant (n = 36) and pre-eclamptic (n = 36) HIV positive and negative women using an immunoassay.

Results: TN-C was significantly upregulated in PE vs normotensive pregnant women (p = 0.0075) and HIV-positive vs negative pregnant women (p = 0.0009). TN-C levels across all groups was statistically different (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: This study demonstrates an elevation of TN-C in HIV-associated PE. The potential benefit of TN-C as a biomarker to detect PE development requires investigation.