The role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2) in the development of placental insufficieny in women with recurrent miscarriage

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Abstract

Objective. Exploration of the role of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR1, VEGFR2) in formation of placental insufficiency in women with recurrent miscarriage (RM).

Materials and methods. A total of 347 pregnant women were examined: 247 women with RM, and 104 with a history of pregnancy without RM. Of the total number of women, 75 placental samples underwent histological and immunohistochemical examinations with antibodies to VEGFR1 and VEGFR2. Placental samples that underwent pathomorphological examination were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 included placentas of women with RM, who gave birth at term (n=25). Group 2 included placentas of women who gave at 260–366 weeks (n=20). Group 3 (the comparison group) included placentas of 30 patients without a history of RM, who gave birth at 37–40 weeks. Statistical processing of the results was performed using Excel-2010 and STATISTICA 13.0 software packages.

Results. The women with RM had complications during pregnancy. The most common complication of pregnancy was threatened miscarriage in all trimesters of pregnancy that ended with preterm birth. The average gestational age for preterm birth was 311 (260–363) weeks. Immunohistochemical analysis of placental samples showed that in preterm birth, expression of VEGFR1 in decidual cells and VEGFR2 in syncytiotrophoblast of chorial villi was significantly lower (p=0.0002) compared with full-term pregnancy. In addition, preterm birth was associated with premature placental abruption, that commonly occurs with failure of physiologic transformation of spiral arteries.

Conclusion. The most frequent pregnancy complications in women with RM miscarriage were threatened miscarriage with high rates of preterm delivery and placental insufficiency. According to our data, the mechanisms of formation of pregnancy complications in women with RM are associated with low expression of VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in the placenta, leading to impaired gestational restructuring of the uteroplacental arteries and vascularization of the villous chorion, that should be considered as an element of chronic placental insufficiency and taken into account at the pregravid stage.

About the authors

Elena V. Protsenko

V.N. Gorodkov Ivanovo Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: procenko_e_v@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-0490-5686
SPIN-code: 1343-3881

Dr. Med. Sci., Head of the Laboratory of Pathomorphology and Electron Microscopy

Russian Federation, Ivanovo

Iya E. Talanova

V.N. Gorodkov Ivanovo Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood, Ministry of Health of Russia; Ivanovo State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia

Author for correspondence.
Email: iya-ta@yandex.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4950-8174
SPIN-code: 6865-5146

PhD, Associate Professor at the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Medical Genetics

Russian Federation, Ivanovo; Ivanovo

Anna I. Malyshkina

V.N. Gorodkov Ivanovo Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood, Ministry of Health of Russia; Ivanovo State Medical University, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: anna_im@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1145-0563
SPIN-code: 7937-9125

Professor, Dr. Med. Sci., Director, Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Medical Genetics

Russian Federation, Ivanovo; Ivanovo

Lyudmila V. Kulida

V.N. Gorodkov Ivanovo Research Institute of Maternity and Childhood, Ministry of Health of Russia

Email: kulida@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-8962-9048
SPIN-code: 6208-4487

Dr. Med. Sci., Leading Researcher at the Laboratory of Pathomorphology and Electron Microscopy

Russian Federation, Ivanovo

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