Ultrasound microbubble-mediated delivery of integrin-linked kinase gene improves endothelial progenitor cells dysfunction in pre-eclampsia.

Pre-eclampsia (PE) is a specific vascular complication in pregnancy whose precise mechanism is still unclear. We hypothesized that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), the precursor of endothelial cells, might be impaired in patients with PE and hold a great promise for the treatment of PE. In the present study, we analyzed the EPCs number and expression of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) in PE patients. We confirmed that both EPCs number and ILK expression were diminished in PE patients. Next, we transfected EPCs with ILK gene using ultrasonic microbubble technique (UMT) for the first time, as UMT is a novel type of gene transfer technology showing promising applications in stem cells apart from EPCs. To further investigate the transfection efficiency of UMT, RT-PCR analysis and western blot were used to examine the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein level of ILK. After transfection of the ILK gene, EPCs function was tested to illustrate the role of ILK in cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and secretion. The results of the in vitro study suggested that UMT, a novel gene delivery system, could be considered a potent physical method for EPCs transfection. Moreover, the growth and angiogenetic properties of EPCs are enhanced by introducing ILK. This study may afford a new trend for EPCs transfection and gene therapy in PE.