Korean J Obstet Gynecol.  2011 Jul;54(7):341-348. 10.5468/KJOG.2011.54.7.341.

Gene expression of heme oxygenase-1 and nitric oxide synthase on trophoblast of preeclampsia

• Choi SK
• Hwang JY
• Lee J
• Na SH
• Ha JG
• Lee HA
• Lee DH

• KMID: 2274047
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5468/KJOG.2011.54.7.341

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the gene expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in placenta of preeclampsia.
METHODS
Placenta were obtained from women with normal pregnancies (n=15) and severe preeclamptic (n=15) after informed consent and under the approval of IRB of Kangwon National University Hospital. The severe preeclampsia was diagnosed as high blood pressure and proteinuria. High blood pressure was defined as systolic blood pressure of >160 mm Hg or diastolic pressure of >110 mm Hg and proteinuria was defined as urine protein of >2 g/24 hr. We investigated mRNA expression of HO-1, iNOS and eNOS in both groups by real time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. The Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis with SPSS ver. 12.0. P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.
RESULTS
There were no significant differences in maternal age (P=1.181) and gestational age (P=0.30) between the two groups. Fetal birth weight from women with preeclampsia was significantly lower than that from normal pregnant women (P=0.002). We detected differences in mRNA expression of placenta between both groups. Expression of HO-1 was decreased in placenta of preelamptic pregnancies compared to that from normal. However, expression of iNOS and eNOS was higher in preeclamptic group compared to normal.
CONCLUSION
We suggest that preeclampsia is associated with a decreased expression of HO-1 and increased expressions of iNOS and eNOS in placenta.

Keyword

Preeclampsia; Cytotrophoblast; Heme oxygenase-1

MeSH Terms

Birth Weight
Blood Pressure
Ethics Committees, Research
Female
Gene Expression
Gestational Age
Heme
Heme Oxygenase-1
Humans
Hypertension
Immunohistochemistry
Informed Consent
Maternal Age
Nitric Oxide
Nitric Oxide Synthase
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
Placenta
Pre-Eclampsia
Pregnancy
Pregnant Women
Proteinuria
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Messenger
Trophoblasts
Heme
Heme Oxygenase-1
Nitric Oxide
Nitric Oxide Synthase
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
RNA, Messenger

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Results of real time polymerase chain reaction. (A, B) The genes expression of iNOS and eNOS in placenta from women with preeclampsia groups were higher than these from normal groups. (C) The expression of HO-1 was decreased in placenta from women with preeclampsia compared to this from normal group. Data are mean ± SD. iNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase; eNOS, endothelial nitric oxide synthase; HO-1, heme oxygenase-1. aP<0.01, bP<0.05.

• 

  Fig. 2 Immunohistochemical staing for heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in placenta of women with preeclampsia. There is no signal of HO-1 in syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast, however some signal of that is in villous stromal cell (A) ×40, (B) ×200.

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