Acute temporal regulation of placental vascular endothelial growth/permeability factor expression in baboons by estrogen.
Vascular endothelial growth/permeability factor (VEG/PF) has an established role in angiogenesis, however, the regulation of placental VEG/PF expression during primate pregnancy is incompletely understood. A temporal study was conducted in baboons to determine the effect of acute administration of estradiol on the expression of VEG/PF by cells of the villous placenta. VEG/PF mRNA levels were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in isolated placental cell fractions of baboons after acute i.v. and i.m. administration of estradiol. Within 2 h of estradiol treatment, VEG/PF mRNA (attomoles/ micrograms total RNA) increased within villous cytotrophoblasts to a level (mean +/- SEM, 12,612 +/- 2419) that was almost 2-fold greater (P < 0.05) than in untreated controls (6810 +/- 1368). Cytotrophoblast VEG/PF mRNA levels remained elevated (P < 0.01) 6 h after estradiol treatment (15,006 +/- 506), but were not different from controls 18 h after estradiol administration. VEG/ PF mRNA levels in whole villous tissue also were greater 6 h (12,667 +/- 2284, P < 0.05) and 18 h (16,080 +/- 3816, P < 0.01) after estradiol treatment than in untreated animals (3380 +/- 594). In contrast, VEG/PF mRNA levels in cells of the inner villous core were not altered by estradiol treatment. Expression of both the VEG/PF(121) and VEG/PF(165) mRNA species appeared to increase in the placenta 6 h after estradiol treatment of baboons. We propose that estrogen regulates VEG/PF expression within the placenta in a cell-specific manner, providing a paracrine system to promote vascularization of the villous placenta during the first half of primate pregnancy.
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Center for Studies in Reproduction, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Victoria A
VA
Robb
Gerald J
GJ
Pepe
Eugene D
ED
Albrecht
D000818:Animals; D004958:Estradiol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D010215:Papio; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D012333:RNA, Messenger; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D004958:Estradiol