INCREASED PLACENTAL APOPTOSIS AND DECREASED
SYNCYTIAL CELL IN INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION
Meng D1, Sheng YH1, Lu LY2, Wu SM3
1 International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital,
Shanghai, China
2 Dept. of Molecular Pathology, 85 Hospital of PLA, Shanghai,
China
3 Shanghai
Institute for Pediatric Research, Shanghai, China
Objective: Our purpose was to investigate a possible role for apoptosis in
the pathophysiologic mechanisms of intrauterine growth restriction.
Methods: Placental samples were obtained from 4
uncomplicated third-trimester pregnancies and from 5 pregnancies
complicated by intrauterine growth restriction, very placental sample
formed into 4 blocks and paraffin embedded. The definition used to identify
cases of intrauterine growth restriction depended on three criteria:
clinical evidence of suboptimal growth, ultrasonographic evidence of
deviation from an appropriate growth percentile, and individualized birth
weight ratios <10th percentile. Light microscopy was used to quantify the
evidence of apoptosis and syncytial cell. Electron microscope and TUNEL
(terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate
nick end labeling) staining were used to confirm the occurrence of
apoptosis.
Results: For each block 10 fields of view were examined.
Quantification of apoptosis and syncytial cell resulted in the following
values: normal third trimester (n=200 fields of view) 4.3¡À1.8/field of view
in apoptosis, 20.4¡À6.3/field of view in syncytial cell and intrauterine
growth restriction third trimester (n=160 fields of view ) 4.8¡À1.8/field of
view in apoptosis, 10.5¡À3.4/field of view in syncytial cell. The incidence
of apoptosis was significantly higher and the incidence of syncytial cell
was significantly lower in placentas from pregnancies with intrauterine
growth restriction compared with normal third-trimester placentas
(P<0.05, T test; and P<0.001, T test).
Conclusions: These results suggest that increased
apoptosis and decreased syncytial cell may play a role in the pathophysiologic
mechanisms of intrauterine growth restriction.