Study Of The Expression Of Transforming Growth Factor Beta1 (TGF-β1) And Connective Tissue Growth Factor (CTGF) In Placenta Of Preeclampsia

Preeclampsia ,a syndrome unique to humans' gestation, remain the majorcause of maternal and perinatal morbility and mortality. Preeclampsia is clearlya complex clinical syndrome potentially all of organ systems.Pathogenesis ofpreeclampsia that is still unclear contains several theories including superficialimplantation.Temporo-spatial regulation of trophoblast invasion is the outcome of abalanced interplay between the proteases and their cognate inhibitors.Preeclampsia develops following not all the trophoblast reaching myometriallevel , then failing to remold the spiral ateries, if the imbalance between up anddown regulating invision is broken. Growth factors composing a network withother substances play a critical role during trophoblast invision,TGF-beta1 and CTGF , belonging to TGF family and CNN familyrespectively and locating in trophoblast,decidual cells and epithelial cells,involve in regulating ECM remodeling ,decudualisation ,and proliferation anddefferentiation of trophoblast .Besides ,they have angiogenic activity related toplacental angiogenesis during placenta development. In recent years ,researchershave noted that TGF-beta1 can inhibit trophoblast invision,through stimulatingECM synthesis,prohibiting ECM degradation, and forbiting proliferation anddifferentiation of trophoblasts for the reason of avoiding overinvision . CTGFcan also inhibit ECM degradation and increase the number ofsyneytiotrophoblast which is disable to invade ,so invision of trophoblasts isinsufficient. CTGF gene transcription is regulated by TGF-beta1 in someconditions, but regulated in TGF-beta1 dependent and independent ways ingestation.The results on the expression of TGF-beta1 are disparity in recentstudy,and there is no study focus on the expression of CTGF in placenta ofpreeclampsia,let alone their relationship. Thus , the expression of TGF-beta1and CTGF would be tested in placeta of preeclampsia and normal pregnancy inthis study, in order to observe the location and intensity of TGF-beta1 and CTGF,and their relationship.So ,immunohistochemistry (SABC) was used to determine the distributionand intensity of TGF-beta1 and CTGF staining in placentas of 36 cases ofpreeclampsia patients (16 and 20 mild and severe cases respectively) and 14cases of non-complication pregnancies at term . TGF-beta1 was found mainly introphoblasts , sometimes in decidual cells, occasionally in vascular endothelialcells and matrix. The expression of TGF-beta1 and CTGF in placentaltrophoblasts was significantly increased in preeclampsia compared with thenormal group ( Ρ <0.01) .In the preeclampsia group ,the expression ofTGF-beta1 and CTGF from mild group to severe group were elevatedsignificantly(Ρ<0.05) .The expression was increased with the progress ofpreeclampsia. TGF-beta1 and CTGF mRNA expression in placenta was detectedby RT-PCR from 6 cases of normal pregnancies at term and 12 cases ofpreecalampsia patients(six case in mild and severe group respectively).The expression level of TGF-beta1 and CTGF mRNA in preeclampsia wassignificantly higher than that in control group(Ρ<0.01). The expression wasalso increased with the progress of preeclampsia. TGF-beta1 and CTGF wereshown positive correlation in preeclampsia(Ρ<0.05) .The following conclusions include (1): The elevated expression ofTGF-beta1 and CTGF leads to insufficient trophoblasts infiltration and might beone of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. and one of the reasons topathophysical changes in utero-placental unite of preeclampsia. (2): Theelevated level of TGF-beta1 and CTGF is related with severity ofpreeclampsia.(3):CTGF might have TGF-beta1 independent and dependentmechanism in preeclampsia.