title: Reduced expressions of connexin 43 and VEGF in the first-trimester tissues from women with recurrent pregnancy loss.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Approximately 45-50 % of the recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) remain(s) unexplained that challenges its clinical management. Formation and development of placenta as well as angiogenesis are critical for successful pregnancy. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and connexin 43 (Cx43) play important roles in angiogenesis and placenta development and aberration of these have been linked to RPL. We aimed to investigate whether the expressions of VEGF and Cx43 were altered in the first-trimester tissues (chorionic villi and decidua) collected from women with RPL compared to those from healthy early pregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  First-trimester chorionic villi and decidua were collected from pregnant women diagnosed RPL who ended up with surgical intervention (n = 28) in comparison to those collected from women requesting surgical termination of their unwanted normal first-trimester pregnancies (n = 28). These two groups of women were matched in age and gestational weeks. Tissues were analyzed for the protein and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expressions of Cx43 and VEGF by immunohistochemistry, western blot, and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The expressions of both Cx43 and VEGF at the level of mRNA and protein in the villi and decidua from women with RPL were significantly decreased compared with those from women with normal early pregnancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduction of Cx43 and VEGF expressed in the first-trimester tissues might indicate their important roles involved in RPL and thus holds the potential to develop pharmaceutical therapies for treatment of RPL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Planning, The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Planning, The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China. chenqinfang95@163.com.
authors.forename: Qinfang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D002824:Chorionic Villi / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D003656:Decidua / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; C500216:GJA1 protein, human; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
keywords: Connexin 43; Recurrent pregnancy loss; Vascular endothelial growth factor