Placental apoptosis in preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether preeclampsia is associated with an increase in placental apoptosis and differential expression of mediators of apoptosis.


METHODS
Placental samples from 31 preeclamptic women and 31 normotensive controls were analyzed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling staining. Expression of Fas, Fas ligand, Bcl-2, and Bax was assessed using immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The median percent apoptotic nuclei was significantly higher for the study group than for the controls (0.49 versus 0.19; P =.001), as was the median percent apoptotic nuclei in the trophoblast nuclei (0.33 versus 0.09; P <.01). Fas ligand expression was significantly less and Fas expression significantly greater in the villus trophoblast among the study subjects compared with controls. There was no difference in the expression of Bax or Bcl-2 between groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Placental apoptosis and altered expression of Fas and Fas ligand in trophoblast might influence pathogenesis or sequelae of preeclampsia.
Allaire
A D
AD
Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-7570, USA. allaire@med.unc.edu
Ballenger
K A
KA
Wells
S R
SR
McMahon
M J
MJ
Lessey
B A
BA
D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008024:Ligands; D010920:Placenta / Q000473:pathology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism*
D008024:Ligands; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D019014:fas Receptor