Determination of the level of interleukin 6 in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Falah H. Abdullah; Sarah Jabbar Al Saidy; Marwa Jasim Abdulqader; Zainelabedeen Hasan Abed

doi:10.34172/jnp.2025.27582

J Nephropathol. 2025;14(4): e27582.
doi: 10.34172/jnp.2025.27582

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PDF Download: 20

Original Article

Determination of the level of interleukin 6 in pregnant women with preeclampsia

Falah H. Abdullah ¹^* , Sarah Jabbar Al Saidy ² , Marwa Jasim Abdulqader ³ , Zainelabedeen Hasan Abed ⁴

¹ Department of Forensic Sciences, College of Health and Medical Technology, National University of Science and Technology, Dhi Qar, Iraq
² Department of Biology, College of Education for Women, Al-Shatra University Dhi Qar, Iraq
³ Pathological Analyses Department, College of Science, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
⁴ Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Health and Medical Technology, National University of Science and Technology, Dhi Qar, Iraq

*Corresponding Author: Falah H. Abdullah, Email: falah.h.abdullah@nust.edu.iq

Abstract

Introduction: Pre-eclampsia represents a potentially life-threatening condition during pregnancy that significantly contributes to maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Numerous studies within the fields of obstetrics and gynecology have documented elevated concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in women diagnosed with preeclampsia, suggesting that this cytokine may play a critical role in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the hypertension associated with this condition.

Objectives: The aim of this investigation was to conduct a case-control study aimed at comparing the levels of IL-6 between pregnant women diagnosed with preeclampsia and those with normal pregnancies, in order to ascertain the presence of elevated IL-6 levels among the former group.

Patients and Methods: This case-control study comprised 384 pregnant women at a gestational age exceeding 20 weeks, who were already diagnosed as preeclamptic and designated as cases, alongside a control group of 384 women devoid of any signs of hypertension or proteinuria during their pregnancies, matched for maternal age, body mass index (BMI), and gestational age. For all participants, IL-6 levels were quantified using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that employs the Sandwich-ELISA methodology for the in vitro determination of human IL-6 concentrations in serum. Additionally, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelets count were assessed utilizing a hematology analyzer based on the Coulter Principle. Furthermore, age, body mass index, gestational age, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure were meticulously recorded.

Results: Our findings revealed a statistically significant elevation in the levels of IL-6 among pregnant women with preeclampsia compared to those with normal pregnancy (P<0.001). Moreover, IL-6 exhibited a positive correlation with diastolic blood pressure (P=0.001).

Conclusion: Our study indicates that IL-6 levels are markedly elevated during pregnancy in women diagnosed with preeclampsia.

Keywords: Preeclampsia, Pregnancy, Interleukin 6, Hypertension

Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education:

In women with preeclampsia, serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) may be elevated as several studies revealed this occurs due to inflammatory status during preeclampsia that stimulate IL-6 as a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Our study appears fourfold increase in preeclampsia women compared to the normal pregnant control cohort which can be as predictive marker for preeclampsia diagnosis, monitoring disease severity, and strategy for treatment through factors that work on inhibition of IL-6.

Please cite this paper as: Abdullah FH, Saidy SJ, Jasim Abdulqader M, Hasan Abed Z. Determination of the level of interleukin 6 in pregnant women with preeclampsia. J Nephropathol. 2025;14(4):e27582. DOI: 10.34172/jnp.2025.27582.