Severe preeclampsia goes along with a cytokine network disturbance towards a systemic inflammatory state

► Severe preeclampsia is associated with high levels of IL-8, IL-6, and IFN-γ. ► Normotensive pregnancy evolves high levels of regulatory cytokine IL-10. ► A pro-inflammatory “cytokine signature” were observed in severe preeclampsia. ► An overall regulatory state is the hallmark for normotensive pregnancy. Although preeclampsia causes high maternal/fetal morbidity and mortality, the etiology of this multi-system disorder still remains to be elucidated. Herein, we have characterized the cytokine plasma levels in severe preeclamptic women compared to normotensive pregnant and non-pregnant women, aiming to better understand the immunological network and its clinical significance for the pathogenesis and severity of preeclampsia. A total of 219 women were selected. The study population was composed of three groups referred as severe preeclamptic, normotensive pregnant and non-pregnant women. Cytokine plasma levels were determined using commercially available kits, Cytometric Beads Array – CBA to quantify TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and IL-12. Our findings demonstrated that severe preeclamptic state is associated with high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8, IL-6, and IFN-γ (P