Study on the Apoptosis and its Mediators in the Placentas of Preclampsia using cDNA Expression Array / 대한산부인과학회잡지

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to examine whether preeclampsia is associated with an increase in placental apoptosis and to detect differential expression of mediators involved in apoptosis. METHODS: Placental tissues from 10 cases of preeclampsia and 16 cases of control were analyzed using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining. And cDNA expression array assay was performed for detecting mediators that were involved in placental apoptosis. RESULTS: In TUNEL staining, number of apoptotic nuclei were increased in placenta of preeclampsia. The expression of apoptotic signals was limited to trophoblasts. As a result of cDNA expression array assay, expressions of caspase-10, tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 (TNFR-1), and death domain receptor-3 (DDR-3) were increased and expression of cell division protein kinase-9 (CDK-9), cyclin A, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) were decreased in the placenta of preeclampsia. The expression of caspase-10, DDR-3, and IGFBP-3 between preeclampsia and normal revealed significantly different (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Apoptosis was significantly increased in placenta of preeclampsia and various mediators were involved in apoptotic mechanism. Therefore, it was suggested that apoptosis might play a role in the pathophysiologic mechanisms of preeclampsia.