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Perez-Sepulveda A, Monteiro LJ, Dobierzewska A, España-Perrot PP, Venegas-Araneda P, Guzmán-Rojas AM, González MI, Palominos-Rivera M, Irarrazabal CE, Figueroa-Diesel H, Varas-Godoy M, Illanes SE. Placental Aromatase Is Deficient in Placental Ischemia and Preeclampsia. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0139682. [PMID: 26444006 PMCID: PMC4596497 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 09/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Preeclampsia is a maternal hypertensive disorder with uncertain etiology and a leading cause of maternal and fetal mortality worldwide, causing nearly 40% of premature births delivered before 35 weeks of gestation. The first stage of preeclampsia is characterized by reduction of utero-placental blood flow which is reflected in high blood pressure and proteinuria during the second half of pregnancy. In human placenta androgens derived from the maternal and fetal adrenal glands are converted into estrogens by the enzymatic action of placental aromatase. This implies that alterations in placental steroidogenesis and, subsequently, in the functionality or bioavailability of placental aromatase may be mechanistically involved in the pathophysiology of PE. Methods Serum samples were collected at 32–36 weeks of gestation and placenta biopsies were collected at time of delivery from PE patients (n = 16) and pregnant controls (n = 32). The effect of oxygen tension on placental cells was assessed by incubation JEG–3 cells under 1% and 8% O2 for different time periods, Timed-mated, pregnant New Zealand white rabbits (n = 6) were used to establish an in vivo model of placental ischemia (achieved by ligature of uteroplacental vessels). Aromatase content and estrogens and androgens concentrations were measured. Results The protein and mRNA content of placental aromatase significantly diminished in placentae obtained from preeclamptic patients compared to controls. Similarly, the circulating concentrations of 17-β-estradiol/testosterone and estrone/androstenedione were reduced in preeclamptic patients vs. controls. These data are consistent with a concomitant decrease in aromatase activity. Aromatase content was reduced in response to low oxygen tension in the choriocarcinoma JEG–3 cell line and in rabbit placentae in response to partial ligation of uterine spiral arteries, suggesting that reduced placental aromatase activity in preeclamptic patients may be associated with chronic placental ischemia and hypoxia later in gestation. Conclusions Placental aromatase expression and functionality are diminished in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia in comparison with healthy pregnant controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Perez-Sepulveda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lara J. Monteiro
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Aneta Dobierzewska
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pedro P. España-Perrot
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pía Venegas-Araneda
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Alejandra M. Guzmán-Rojas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - María I. González
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Macarena Palominos-Rivera
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carlos E. Irarrazabal
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Horacio Figueroa-Diesel
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- Perinatal Unit, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
| | - Manuel Varas-Godoy
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
| | - Sebastián E. Illanes
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
- Perinatal Unit, Clínica Dávila, Santiago, Chile
- * E-mail:
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Perez-Sepulveda A, España-Perrot PP, Norwitz ER, Illanes SE. Metabolic pathways involved in 2-methoxyestradiol synthesis and their role in preeclampsia. Reprod Sci 2013; 20:1020-9. [PMID: 23456663 DOI: 10.1177/1933719113477483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) remains a major cause of maternal/fetal morbidity-mortality worldwide. The first stage of PE is characterized by placental hypoxia due to a relative reduction in uteroplacental blood flow, resulting from restricted trophoblast invasion. However, hypoxia is also an essential element for the success of invasion. Under hypoxic conditions, 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME) could induce the differentiation of cytotrophoblast cells into an invasive phenotype in culture. 2-Methoxyestradiol is generated by catechol-O-methyltransferase, an enzyme involved in the metabolic pathway of estrogens. During pregnancy, circulating 2-ME levels increase significantly when compared to the menstrual cycle. Interestingly, plasma levels of 2-ME are lower in women with PE than in controls, and these differences are apparent weeks or even months before the clinical manifestations of the disease. This article reviews the metabolic pathways involved in 2-ME synthesis and discusses the roles of these pathways in normal and abnormal pregnancies, with particular emphasis on PE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra Perez-Sepulveda
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Santiago, Chile
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