Recent environmental toxic effect in the Polish copper mining territory on human reproduction. Part I. Response of the placenta to the chemical stress.
This study examined morphochemical differences between 49 full term human placentas collected from healthy non-smoking women living in the high polluted region, i.e. the Copper Mining Territory (CMT) and the 38 control placentas (C) obtained from little polluted eastern Carpathian regions. The placentas were studied by histochemical, immunohistochemical and morphometric methods. In CMT placentas a decrease in the cytochrome c oxidase and glucose-6-phosphate activities and the immunoreactivity of glutathione S-transferase pi in the villous syncytiotrophoblast and amniotic epithelium was noted. All CMT placentas showed abundance of mineral and fibrinoid deposits and of lipid droplets. This produced a compensatory increase in the mother-fetus exchange area due to excessive proliferation of placental villi which in turn decreased the intervillous space and thus the influx of indispensable maternal blood. Lately slight signs of increase in the cytochrome c oxidase activity accompanied by a noticeable decrease in number of the thinnest (most abundant) terminal villi is observed.
Zadrozna
Monika
M
Department of Cytobiology and Histochemistry, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland. monika.zadrozna@wp.pl
D000328:Adult; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003300:Copper / Q000506:poisoning*; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000032:analysis / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008906:Mining; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D011044:Poland; D011247:Pregnancy
D008055:Lipids; D003300:Copper; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D005982:Glutathione Transferase