title: Dissociation between increased apoptosis and expression of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha system in term placental villi with preeclampsia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse in situ the placental expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), its receptors TNFRp55 and TNFRp75, and apoptosis in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies.
  
  
  METHODS
  We simultaneously analyzed the immunostaining of TNF-alpha, its receptors and apoptosis in term placentas of 15 patients with preeclampsia and 15 normotensive pregnant women as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normotensive villi TNF-alpha and TNFRp75 were expressed more in syncytiotrophoblasts than cytotrophoblasts or stromal cells, and were almost absent in endothelial cells. TNFRp55 was expressed uniformly in all types of placental cells. Apoptosis was more marked in syncytiotrophoblasts than cytotrophoblasts. In preeclamptic trophoblasts apoptosis was exaggerated whereas expression of TNF-alpha and its receptors remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Placental expression of TNF-alpha and TNFRp75 appear inter-adaptative and follow the same pattern, whereas TNFRp55 and TNF-alpha appear independent. In addition, the exaggerated apoptosis of preeclamptic trophoblasts may be dependent on factors other than the TNF-alpha system alone.
authors.affiliation: Département d'Obstétrique-Gynécologie, Centre Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada. abdelaziz.kharfi@usherbrooke.ca
authors.forename: Abdelaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kharfi
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bureau
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Giguère
authors.forename: Jean-Marie
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Moutquin
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Forest
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011247:Pregnancy; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D053319:Tumor Necrosis Factor Decoy Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D047888:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor, Type I; D053319:Tumor Necrosis Factor Decoy Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C069521:recombinant human tumor necrosis factor-binding protein-1