Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the VEGF soluble receptor-1 (sFlt-1) in chorionic villus tissue from Chinese women with early recurrent spontaneous abortion.

This case-control study explored the relationship between early recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) and the expression of two genes: VEGFA, the gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF); and fms-related tyrosine kinase 1 (FLT1), the gene encoding the soluble VEGF receptor-1 (sFlt-1). Women experiencing RSA or undergoing induced abortions in the early stage of normal pregnancy were recruited to the study (n = 30 per group). There were no significant between-group differences in maternal age or duration of pregnancy. The levels of VEGF and sFlt-1 mRNA in chorionic villus tissue samples were examined by quanti tative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Levels of sFlt-1 and VEGF mRNA in the chorionic villus tissue of women with RSA were significantly higher than levels in the control group. This study demonstrated that there is a relationship between early RSA and VEGF and sFlt-1 levels, suggesting that over-expression of the FLT1 and VEGFA genes may be associated with the pathogenesis of RSA.