Expression of clusterin in normal and preeclamptic placentas.
Clusterin is a multifunctional protein that is up-regulated during many different pathophysiological states. Clusterin may be related to a compensation mechanism involving aggregation of soluble proteins, inhibition of complement-mediated cell damage, adaptive regeneration or apoptosis. Clusterin may increase in response to cell damage that results from hypoxic stress in the preeclamptic placenta. The goal of this study was to measure clusterin expression and localization in normal and preeclamptic placental tissues. Immnunohistochemical and double immunofluorescent staining for clusterin was performed on eight normal and eight preeclamptic placental tissues, and clusterin expression was quantified by Western blotting. Immunohistochemical analysis of clusterin in placental tissues obtained from normal pregnancies and those with preeclampsia showed localization of clusterin mainly in the syncytiotrophoblasts and villous endothelial cells. In the double immunofluorescent staining, clusterin was detected in the cytoplasm. The Western blot analysis showed that clusterin expression in the placental tissues of the preeclampsia group was significantly higher than in the normal pregnancy group. Increased expression of clusterin in placental tissues might play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.