Background: Preeclampsia is one of the main causes behind maternal and perinatal mortarity and morbidity. The pathogenesis remains unclear but recently many that the failure of spiral arteries remodeling will eventually lead to placental hypoxia. On preeclampsia complicated-pregnancy, the trophoblast apoptosis is considered being excesive.
Eventhought this hypothesis is till understudy, it is believed that trophoblast apoptosis regulation play a role in preeclampsia complicatedpregnancy pathophysiology. Molecular apoptosis mechanism in human is very complex and involves many signaling molecules, among
them is Bcl-2. Bcl-2 group consist of proapptosis (Bax)) and apoptosis inhibitor (Bcl- 2 and Bcl-XL).
Objective: To compare the expression of Bcl-XL protein on prcgnancy trophoblast between severe preeclampsia complicated-pregnancy and
normotension pregnancy.
Method: This cross sectional study involves population of severe preeclampsia and normotension patient that being treated at RSUP
Sardjito from October 2011 until March 2012. Placenta samples were obtained from 43 severe preeclampsia complicated-pregnancy and 38
placentas from normotension pregnancy. Bcl-XL protein expression was observed using immunohistochemistry technique. statistical
analysis was done using independent t-test (p<0.05).
Result: There was significant difference Bcl-XL protein expression on trophoblast cells in severe preeclampsia, complicated-pregnancy group
1.29±0.12 compared to normotension pregnancy group 1.71±0.14 with p=0.00. From the logistic regression analysis reveals that the presence of severe preeclamsia has a consistent statistically
significant role to the Bcl-XL protein expression with p= 0.000.
Conclusion: Bcl-XL protein expression is lower in severe preeclampsia complicated- pregnancy compared to normotension pregnancy.
Keyword : trophoblast, severe preeclampsia,Bcl-XL protein, apoptosis.