An increase of elastic tissue fibers in blood vessel walls of placental stem villi and differences in the thickness of blood vessel walls in third trimester pre-eclampsia pregnancies

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>This study has goals of examining whether pre-eclampsia may lead to an increase of elastic tissue fibers in blood vessel walls of placental stem villi or whether there are differences in the thickness of blood vessel walls within these villi when compared to normotensive pregnant women. Non-infarcted placental tissue samples from 28 participants with uncomplicated pregnancies and 26 patients with pre-eclampsia were obtained. After routine histological procedures, the sections were processed either for conventional Verhoeff staining for the demonstration of elastic fiber system. Paraffine sections from placenta biopsies prepared for light microscopic examination were gathered. In uncomplicated pregnancies, terminal villi blood vessels were observed with no stained elastic tissue fibers in most areas. In the pre-eclampsia pregnancy of human placenta, the elastic fibers significiantly increased in terminal villi blood vessel walls which were dark in color, using Verhoeff’s tissue stain, when comparing with the uncomplicated pregnancy group. Our results indicate that an increase of elastic tissue fibers in blood vessels of placental stem villus and terminal villi, and also an increase of wall thickness during pre-eclampsia.</jats:p>

A Review of Biomechanics Analysis of the Umbilical–Placenta System With Regards to Diseases

“…Wareing et al also reported increased chorionic venous contractility induced by hypoxia in IUGR but not in normal pregnancy (Wareing et al, 2006 ). Furthermore, previous studies reported that placental terminal villi thickness was increased in mouse (Hvizdošová-Kleščová et al, 2013 ) and in human placenta from IUGR pregnancy (Mayhew et al, 2003 ), and elastic fibers in IUGR placenta blood vessels were found to be reduced (Wilhelm et al, 2002 ) but increased in PE pregnancy (Baran et al, 2010 ). Collectively, their results suggested that the vascular stiffness/compliance might have altered in disease and it could affect the blood flow hemodynamics in fetoplacental circulation.…”

The Impact of Emotional Responses on Female Reproduction: Fibrinolysis in the Spotlight

“…89,90 The result is a prothrombotic and hypofibrinolytic state that increases the risk of placental thrombosis and fetal growth restriction. [91][92][93][94] Preeclampsia is characterized by shallow trophoblast invasion and, later on, by an increased elastin content in placental villi, 95 two pathogenetic mechanisms that affect the conversion of high-resistance to low-resistance vessels. Trophoblast invasion and elastolysis are mediated by matrix metalloproteinase-9 that is cleaved from a precursor by plasminogen activators.…”