Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection in pregnancy may increase severity of Covid-19
disease, which actively modulates induction and signalling of Caspase-1 mediated
inflammatory and pyroptotic pathways. In pregnancies with Covid-19 infection,
preeclampsia syndrome often occurs, with mechanism Caspase-1 induced pyroptosis
then releases alarmin and placental debris into the maternal circulation leading to
thrombosis, intramural fibrin deposition, and villous infarction. This study aims to
analyze differences in Caspase-1 expression in the placenta of patients with Covid-19,
preeclampsia, and Covid-19 with preeclampsia.
Method: An analytic observational study with cross-sectional design that already has
ethical eligibility issued by Dr. Moewardi Surakarta Hospital number 1.195 / IX / HREC
/ 2022. The research samples were taken after the pregnancy’s termination in pregnant
women with Covid-19, preeclampsia, and Covid-19 with preeclampsia.
Immunohistochemistry examination with Caspase-1 antibody Polyclonal Bioss, Starr
Trek Biocare was used to see the expression of Caspase-1 using the Rammele scale. All
data were tested for normality using a Shapiro-Wilk's test and Levene's test to examine
homogeneity of variance, the results were not normally distributed but homogeneous,
then proceed with Kruskal-Wallis test for bivariate analysis of differences in placental
Caspase-1 expression from the three sample groups.
Result: 72 subjects divided into three groups, 24 Covid-19 patients, 24 preeclampsia
patients, and 24 Covid-19 with preeclampsia patients. Kruskal Wallis test showed a
significant difference in Caspase-1 expression between the three groups with p
value=0.031 (p<0>the preeclampsia group was 4.21±3.16, and the Covid-19 with preeclampsia group was
7.25±3.04.
Conclusion: There was a significant difference in Caspase-1 expression between the
placentas of Covid-19, preeclampsia, and Covid-19 with preeclampsia patients.