Upregulation of sFlt-1 by trophoblasts induces the barrier dysfunction of glomerular endothelial cells

Abstract

This study examined the effect of over-expression of sFlt-1 by trophoblasts on the barrier function of glomerular endothelial cells and the role of VEGF in this process in order to explore the pathogenesis of glomerular disease in preeclampsia. SFlt-1 expression in the human trophoblasts (TEV-1 cells) was enhanced by transfecting sFlt-1 plasmid DNA into TEV-1 cells. The monolayer barrier function of glomerular endothelial cells (ciGEnCs) was determined by measuring the fluorescence intensity of bovine serum albumin (BSA) that crossed the monolayer of glomerular endothelial cells. The results showed that the over-expression of sFlt-1 by TEV-1 cells led to the barrier dysfunction of ciGEnCs, and the exogenous VEGF could alleviate the ciGEnCs dysfunction resulting from the over-expression of sFlt-1 to a certain extent. It was concluded that the dysregulation of sFlt-1 and VEGF in preeclamptic pregnancy may contribute to the barrier dysfunction of glomerular endothelial cells, and VEGF may play an important role in maintaining the barrier function of glomerular endothelial cells, but it may not be the sole factor.