Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The balance between cell survival and cell death (apoptosis) is critical during development and may affect organ function. Apoptosis is accelerated in the presence of infection and inflammation in a variety of organ systems. The objective of this investigation was to determine if apoptosis was increased in the chorion laeve of term patients with and without histologic chorioamnionitis. METHODS: Records of placental pathology were reviewed with respect to the presence/absence of histologic chorioamnionitis. Sections from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded fetal membrane rolls were stained using the TUNEL method. The proportion of apoptotic nuclei was calculated in seven high-powered fields/section. Those with and without histologic chorioamnionitis were compared. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, with significance defined as p < 0.05. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in demographic or clinical characteristics between the two groups. The chorion laeve from subjects with histologic chorioamnionitis had significantly more apoptotic nuclei when compared to those without chorioamnionitis (11.2% vs. 5%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Apoptosis is more prevalent in the chorion laeve of fetal membranes with histologic chorioamnionitis. This finding suggests that infection/inflammation may impact cell survival within fetal membranes. The implications of these findings warrant further investigation.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (90.1 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bohlinger I., Leist M., Gantner F., Angermüller S., Tiegs G., Wendel A. DNA fragmentation in mouse organs during endotoxic shock. Am J Pathol. 1996 Oct;149(4):1381–1393. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Eckhart A. D., Koch W. J. Transgenic studies of cardiac adrenergic receptor regulation. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2001 Oct;299(1):1–5. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fortunato S. J., Menon R., Bryant C., Lombardi S. J. Programmed cell death (apoptosis) as a possible pathway to metalloproteinase activation and fetal membrane degradation in premature rupture of membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2000 Jun;182(6):1468–1476. doi: 10.1067/mob.2000.107330. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Germain A. M., Smith J., Casey M. L., MacDonald P. C. Human fetal membrane contribution to the prevention of parturition: uterotonin degradation. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1994 Feb;78(2):463–470. doi: 10.1210/jcem.78.2.8106636. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Haslett C. Granulocyte apoptosis and inflammatory disease. Br Med Bull. 1997;53(3):669–683. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.bmb.a011638. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hotchkiss R. S., Swanson P. E., Freeman B. D., Tinsley K. W., Cobb J. P., Matuschak G. M., Buchman T. G., Karl I. E. Apoptotic cell death in patients with sepsis, shock, and multiple organ dysfunction. Crit Care Med. 1999 Jul;27(7):1230–1251. doi: 10.1097/00003246-199907000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kam P. C., Ferch N. I. Apoptosis: mechanisms and clinical implications. Anaesthesia. 2000 Nov;55(11):1081–1093. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2044.2000.01554.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Parmley T. H. Spontaneous cell death in the chorion laeve. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1990 Jun;162(6):1576–1583. doi: 10.1016/0002-9378(90)90923-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Salafia C. M., Weigl C., Silberman L. The prevalence and distribution of acute placental inflammation in uncomplicated term pregnancies. Obstet Gynecol. 1989 Mar;73(3 Pt 1):383–389. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]