Plasma granulysin concentrations and preeclampsia risk

Objective: Epidemiological, clinical and histological data suggest intriguing similarities between preeclampsia and graft–host-rejection. Granulysin, a novel biomarker of overall cellular immunity, is secreted by natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, which are associated with graft–host-rejection. Plasma granulysin was elevated in Japanese preeclamptic women. Design and Methods: 50 preeclampsia cases and 50 normotensive controls (USA) were studied. Plasma granulysin at delivery was determined using enzyme immunoassay. Logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Granulysin were elevated in preeclampsia cases compared with controls (3.01 ± 0.18 vs. 2.22 ± 0.14 ng/mL, p < 0.01). After adjusting for age, body-mass-index and race, women with higher granulysin concentrations (≥ 1.89 ng/mL) experienced a 2.9-fold (95%CI 1.1–7.8) increased preeclampsia risk compared with women with lower granulysin (< 1.89 ng/mL). Conclusions: These data offer further evidence of a predominant Th1 immune status associated with preeclampsia. Prospective studies are needed to determine whether granulysin is elevated early in pregnancy.