Roles of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in preeclampsia and related mechanisms

Recent studies indicate that hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α) plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.Meanwhile, growing evidence shows that the circulating antiangiogenic molecules, including soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFLT-1), soluble endoglin (sENG), endothelin-1 and the angiotensin II receptor type I autoimmune antibody (AT-1AA), might serve as the downstream effectors of HIF-1α in preeclampsia.A better understanding of the relation between HIF-1α and these circulating antiangiogenic molecules may give insight into the role of HIF-1α in preeclampsia and hopefully offer a novel targeted therapy for preeclampsia. Key words: Hypoxia; Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α; Preeclampsia