Expressions of Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule ( NCAM ) in the Endovascular Trophoblasts ; Comparison of Normal Pregnancy and Recurrent Abortion

Park, M I; Moon, Young Jin; Hwang, Youn Yeung; Hwang, Jung Hye; Kim, Seung Ryong; Kim, Kyung Tai; Jang, Se Jin; Park, Yong Wook

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
Recently, investigations performed with human tissues have revealed that reduced trophoblast invasion of spiral arteries is closely correlated with the recurrent abortion. During placental development in normal pregnancy, trophoblast cells invade uterine arteries, where they migrate on the surface of endothelium, against the flow of blood. Migration of trophoblast cells depends upon binding the cell surface to endothelial cells or to extracellular matrix, and NCAM may play an important role in these migration of tropboblast. And NCAM may poteatially bind a variety of ligands that are likely to be encountered by trophoblast cells during their remodelmg of uterine arteries. We compared the expression of NCAM in normal pregnancies to that of recurrent abortions, especially in arterial invasion by trophoblast cells.
METHODS
Placental tissues fiom normal pegnancies and recurrent abortions were fixed and embedded in paraffin. Standard immunohistochemical staining were used to identify NCAM.
RESULTS
NCAM expression on endovascular trophoblast of recurrent abortion are lower than that of narmal pregnancy. There are no expression on syncytiotrophoblasts and villous cytotrophoblast in the both poup. In the decidua, NCAM was expressed in mild degree and there were no differences between in the normal pregnancy and recurrent abortion.
CONCLUSION
NCAM expression on endovascular trophoblast of recunent abortion are lower than that of normal pregnancy. In normal pregnancy, NCAM may contribute to binding trophoblast cells to the surfaces of arterial endothelium and to maintaining cohesiveness of the plug, The failure of trophoblast to invade the maternal artery and to maintain the cohesiveness of endothelium could lead to early pregnancy failu.