| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
Published online before print April 6, 2009
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
From the Maternal and Fetal Health Research Group,* School of Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, University of Manchester, St. Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, United Kingdom; and the Departments of Physiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women’s and Infant’s Health, Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Decidual artery remodeling is essential for a healthy pregnancy. This process involves loss of vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelium, which are replaced by endovascular trophoblasts (vEVTs) embedded in fibrinoid. Remodeling is impaired during pre-eclampsia, a disease of pregnancy that results in maternal and fetal mortality and morbidity. Early vascular changes occur in the absence of vEVTs, suggesting that another cell type is involved; evidence from animal models indicates that decidual leukocytes play a role. We hypothesized that leukocytes participate in remodeling through the triggering of apoptosis or extracellular matrix degradation. Decidua basalis samples (8 to 12 weeks gestation) were examined by immunohistochemistry to elucidate associations between leukocytes, vEVTs, and key remodeling events. Trophoblast-independent and -dependent phases of remodeling were identified. Based on a combination of morphological attributes, vessel profiles were classified into a putative temporal series of four stages. In early stages of remodeling, vascular smooth muscle cells showed dramatic disruption and disorganization before vEVT presence. Leukocytes (identified as uterine natural killer cells and macrophages) were apparent infiltrating vascular smooth muscle cells layers and were matrix metalloproteinase-7 and -9 immunopositive. A proportion of vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling positive, suggesting remodeling involves apoptosis. We thus confirm that vascular remodeling occurs in distinct trophoblast-independent and -dependent stages and provide the first evidence of decidual leukocyte involvement in trophoblast-independent stages.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  A. V. C. Seaward, S. D. Burke, and B. A. Croy Interferon gamma contributes to preimplantation embryonic development and to implantation site structure in NOD mice Hum. Reprod., September 2, 2010; (2010) deq236v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Volchek, J. E. Girling, G. E. Lash, L. Cann, B. Kumar, S. C. Robson, J. N. Bulmer, and P. A. W. Rogers Lymphatics in the human endometrium disappear during decidualization Hum. Reprod., August 21, 2010; (2010) deq224v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. D. Hazan, S. D. Smith, R. L. Jones, W. Whittle, S. J. Lye, and C. E. Dunk Vascular-Leukocyte Interactions: Mechanisms of Human Decidual Spiral Artery Remodeling in Vitro Am. J. Pathol., August 1, 2010; 177(2): 1017 - 1030. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. G. Golos, M. Giakoumopoulos, and M. A. Garthwaite Embryonic stem cells as models of trophoblast differentiation: progress, opportunities, and limitations Reproduction, July 1, 2010; 140(1): 3 - 9. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Nagamatsu and D. J. Schust Review: The Immunomodulatory Roles of Macrophages at the Maternal--Fetal Interface Reproductive Sciences, March 1, 2010; 17(3): 209 - 218. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. D. Burke, V. F. Barrette, J. Bianco, J. G. Thorne, A. T. Yamada, S. C. Pang, M. A. Adams, and B. A. Croy Spiral Arterial Remodeling Is Not Essential for Normal Blood Pressure Regulation in Pregnant Mice Hypertension, March 1, 2010; 55(3): 729 - 737. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
