[Relationship between pathological changes and the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in the placenta of patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension complicated by intrauterine growth retardation].

OBJECTIVE

To study the relationship of the pathological changes with the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1) in the placenta of patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) that is complicated by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).

METHODS

Tissue specimens of the placenta were respectively collected from 30 patients with PIH complicated by IUGR, 28 patients with IUGR, 25 patients with PIH and 30 normal women after delivery. After HE and PAS staining, the tissue sections were observed microscopically to detect morphological changes in the placenta. Immunohistochemical examination was employed to detect the expression of the VCAM-1 in the decidual vascular endothelium, syncytiotrophoblast and villous capillary vessel of the placenta in these tissue specimens.

RESULTS

Significant pathological changes were observed in 22 placentas of the patients with PIH complicated by IUGR, with the incidence of 73.33 %. The pathological changes exemplified by stromal fibrosis, fibrinoid necrosis and leucocyte infiltration of the villi, increase in villous syncytial nodules, decrease in villous vascular tissues, hyperplasia of cytotrophoblasts and basal lamina thickening were more prevalent in the placentas of patients with PIH complicated by IUGR than in normal women (P<0.05). The expression of VCAM-1 in the decidual vascular endothelium and placental villous capillary vessels was observed to be significantly higher in the placentas with pathological changes than in those without (P<0.05), which was the opposite to the changes in the expression in the syncytiotrophoblast (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

Significant pathological changes can be present in the placenta of patients with PIH complicated by IUGR, and may be intimately related to abnormal expressions of VCAM-1 in the placenta.