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Background: There is evidence of altered vascular endothelial function in women with preeclampsia as well as in the endothelial cells from umbilical vessels of preeclamptic pregnancies. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 is elevated in the plasma of preeclamptic women and is a mediator of vascular reactivity; however, whether MMP2 release is altered in preeclamptic endothelial cells is unknown. We hypothesize that MMP2 release is enhanced in endothelial cells from preeclamptic compared with uncomplicated pregnancies and that this phenomenon may be mediated by an oxygendependent mechanism. Our specific hypothesis is that cells from normal pregnancies will demonstrate enhanced MMP2 release at low oxygen (< 0.5%, 2%) compared to high oxygen (20%), thus mimicking the behavior of preeclamptic cells. Methods: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from preeclamptic …