Nifedipine Prevents Apoptosis of Alcohol-Exposed First-Trimester Trophoblast Cells

Abnormal growth and morphogenesis of placenta at term is linked to adverse fetal development after perigestational alcohol consumption up to early gestation in mouse

BACKGROUND

Gestation alcohol consumption produces fetal growth restriction and malformations by affecting the embryo-fetal development. Recently a relationship between abnormal placentation and fetal malformation and intrauterine growth retardation has been suggested. However, the effects of perigestational alcohol ingestion up to early pregnancy on the placenta at term and its association with fetal abnormalities are little known.

METHODS

In female mice, ethanol 10% in water was administered for 15 days previous and up to days 4 (D4), 8 (D8), or 10 (D10) of gestation (TF), and gestation continues without ethanol exposure. Control females (CF) received ethanol-free water. At day 18, feto-placental units and implantation sites were studied.

RESULTS

TF had increased resorptions and only fetuses from D8-TF and D10-TF had significantly increased weights versus CF. D4 and D10-TF-placentas had significantly reduced weights. All TF had increased junctional zone (JZ) and reduced labyrinth (Lab) areas (PAS-histology and morphometry) compared with CF. Fetuses with mainly with craniofacial abnormalities and skeletal defects (Alizarin red staining), significantly increase; while the fetal bone density (alizarin color intensity, ImageJ) was reduced in D4, D8 and D10-TF versus CF. Although all TF-placentas were histo-structural affected, TF-abnormal fetuses had the most severe placental anomalies, with junctional abundant glycogenic cells into the labyrinth, disorganized labyrinthine vascularization with signs of leukocyte infiltrates and feto-maternal blood mix.

CONCLUSIONS

Perigestational alcohol consumption up to early gestation induces at term fetal growth alterations, dysmorphology and defective skeleton, linked to deficient growth and abnormal morphogenesis of placenta, highlighting insight into the prenatal etiology of FASD.

Assessment of apoptosis and appearance of hepatocyte growth factor in placenta at different gestational ages: A cross-sectional study

Background

Fetal growth is determined by the interaction between mother and fetus using the placental interface throughout the pregnancy.

Objective

To research apoptosis and appearance of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in placentas of different gestational ages and to describe the anthropometrical and clinical indices of mothers and newborns.

Materials and Methods

The study material was obtained from 53 human immunodeficiency virus negative pregnant women of legal age without systemic diseases. The staining of placental apoptotic cells was processed by a standard in situ cell death detection kit. The detection of HGF was provided by the ImmunoCruz goat ABC Staining System protocol sc-2023. Relative distribution of positive structures was evaluated using the semiquantitative counting method.

Results

The mean rank value of the amount of HGF-containing cells (cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts, extravillous trophoblasts, Höfbauer cells, and cells of extraembryonic mesoderm) was 1.61 ± 0.94. Apoptotic cells (cytotrophoblasts, syncytiotrophoblasts, extravillous trophoblasts, and cells of extraembryonic mesoderm) were found in all placental samples of various gestational ages (term 13.00 ± 13.05 and preterm 27.00 ± 18.25); in general, their amount decreased with advancing gestational age of the placenta (p < 0.01).

Conclusion

Weight of a placenta directly depends on the gestational age and correlates with the main fetal anthropometrical parameters (weight, length, and head and chest circumferences). The decrease in HGF-containing and apoptotic cells with advancing gestation depends on the adaptation potential of the placenta, proving the other ways of cellular disposition.

Periconceptional alcohol exposure causes female-specific perturbations to trophoblast differentiation and placental formation in the rat

The development of pathologies during pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, hypertension and fetal growth restriction (FGR), often originates from poor functioning of the placenta. In vivo models of maternal stressors, such as nutrient deficiency, and placental insufficiency often focus on inadequate growth of the fetus and placenta in late gestation. These studies rarely investigate the origins of poor placental formation in early gestation, including those affecting the pre-implantation embryo and/or the uterine environment. The current study characterises the impact on blastocyst, uterine and placental outcomes in a rat model of periconceptional alcohol exposure, in which 12.5% ethanol is administered in a liquid diet from 4 days before until 4 days after conception. We show female-specific effects on trophoblast differentiation, embryo-uterine communication, and formation of the placental vasculature, resulting in markedly reduced placental volume at embryonic day 15. Both sexes exhibited reduced trophectoderm pluripotency and global hypermethylation, suggestive of inappropriate epigenetic reprogramming. Furthermore, evidence of reduced placental nutrient exchange and reduced pre-implantation maternal plasma choline levels offers significant mechanistic insight into the origins of FGR in this model.