Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to register

SAGETRACK
Reproductive Sciences
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tse, J. Y. M.
Right arrow Articles by Cheung, A. N. Y.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Tse, J. Y. M.
Right arrow Articles by Lao, T. T.
Right arrow Articles by Chan, C. C. W.
Right arrow Articles by Chiu, P. M.
Right arrow Articles by Cheung, A. N. Y.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Third-Trimester Placentas Is Not Increased in Growth-Restricted Fetuses

Jenny Y. M. Tse, PhD

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, PRC; jymtse{at}hkucc.hku.hk

Terence T. Lao, MBBS, FRCOG

Carina C. W. Chan, MBBS, MRCOG

P. M. Chiu, BSc

Annie N. Y. Cheung, MBBS, MRCPath

Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China

OBJECTIVE: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered the growth factor that stimulates vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated its role in regulating placental growth and invasion. Its expression can be upregulated by hypoxia. Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is thought to be associated with inadequate placental perfusion, which might result from a failure in the development of the villous vascular network. Our present study was undertaken to examine the relationship between VEGF expression and IUGR in pregnancies with preserved umbilical artery end-diastolic flow.

METHODS: VEGF Expression was determined by immunohistochemical analysis of placentas from 17 pregnancies with normal infant birth weight and 17 pregnancies complicated by IUGR.

RESULTS: We found no significant differences in the expression of VEGF in villous syncytiotrophoblasts and intermediate trophoblasts in maternal decidua between IUGR and normal pregnancies. However, in both groups there was a strong correlation in the expression of VEGF with villous syncytiotrophoblasts and intermediate trophoblasts. In normal and IUGR pregnancies the infants' Apgar scores at birth were significantly correlated with VEGF staining in both syncytiotrophoblasts and intermediate trophoblasts (P < .05). A strong correlation also was found between cord hematocrit and VEGF staining in villous syncytiotrophoblasts (P < .05), but VEGF staining in intermediate trophoblasts was not correlated with cord hemoglobin or hematocrit.

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that VEGF acts in an autocrine and paracrine fashion in both normal and IUGR placentas, and its expression can have an effect on the well being of the infant at birth.

Key Words: Vascular endothelial growth factor • syncytiotrophoblast • placenta

Reproductive Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 2, 77-82 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/107155760100800203
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?