Abstract: Objective：To assess the expression of Notch1 and Wnt1 in placental tissues of early-onset pre-eclampsia patients and their interaction. Methods：176 early-onset pre-eclampsia patients were hospitalized in People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou from June 2016 to December 2017, of whom 102 were mild and 74 were severe. 60 healthy pregnant women were taken as control group. Placental tissue samples of all subjects were collected after delivery. The expressions of Notch1 and Wnt1 proteins in placentas were measured by immunohistochemistry and the levels of Notch1, Jagged1, Wnt1 and β-catenin were measured by Western blotting. The correlation of the expression of each protein were analyzed. Results：There were significant differences of Notch1 and Wnt1 expressions intensity among groups (P＜0.05), the positive rates of Notch1 and Wnt1 in the mild group and severe group were lower than those in the control group, and the positive expression rates in the severe group were lower than those in the mild group (both P＜0.05). There were statistical differences of the levels of Notch1, Jagged1, Wnt1 and β-catenin protein among groups (P＜0.05). The Notch1, Jagged1 and Wnt1 levels in the severe group and mild group were significantly lower than those in control group (all P＜0.05). The Notch1, Jagged1, Wnt1 and β-catenin expression levels in the severe group were lower than those in the mild group (all P＜0.05). Only β-catenin level in the severe group was significantly lower than that in the control group. The expressions of Notch1 and Jagged1 (r=0.826, P=0.000) and Wnt1 and β-catenin (r=0.531, P=0.000) were positively correlated, while Wnt1 and Notch1 (r=－0.167, P=0.010) and Wnt1 and Jagged1 (r= -0.136, P=0.037) were negatively correlated. Conclusions：The low expressions of Notch1 and Wnt1 were associated with the occurrence and progression of early-onset pre-eclampsia, and there may be some interaction between Notch and Wnt signaling pathways in this process.

Key words: Pre-eclampsia, Notch1, Wnt1 protein, Signal transduction, Placenta