title: [Study on relationship between serum cholylglycine and placental apoptosis in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the possible mechanism of placental dysfunction in patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum level of cholylglycine (CG) in 30 cases with ICP (ICP group) and 27 normal pregnant women (control group) was examined by radio-immunoassay before delivery. bax and bcl-2 level in placenta was detected by immunohistochemistry method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Serum CG level in ICP group was (51.8 +/- 5.9) micro mol/L, and in control group it was (9.4 +/- 5.6) micro mol/L. The difference between the two groups was significant (P < 0.05). (2) bax expression level in syncytiotrophoblast of ICP group was: 2(-), 9(+), 11 (++), 8(+++), and bcl-2 expression level was: 12(+), 12(++), 6(+++); bax expression level in control group was: 9 (-), 13(+), 4(++), 1(+++) and bcl-2 expression level was: 3(+), 4(++), 20(+++). bax expression level in syncytiotrophoblast of ICP group was higher than that of the control (P < 0.0005), and bcl-2 expression level was lower than in the control (P < 0.0005), both significantly. A significant positive correlation between CG level and bax expression level and a negative correlation between CG and bcl-2 were found in ICP group (P < 0.005, P < 0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One of the possible mechanisms involved in placental dysfunction of ICP is overexpression of bax in syncytiotrophoblast caused by high concentrations of bile acid, leading to increased apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the First Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
authors.forename: Ya-Juan
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Ya-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Xiao-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shu-Hong
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhao-Yang
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics; D002780:Cholestasis, Intrahepatic / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006000:Glycocholic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D006000:Glycocholic Acid