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Updated: Sep 21, 2026

Fetal Echocardiography and Pulsed-wave Doppler Ultrasound in a Rabbit Model of Intrauterine Growth Restriction
Published on: June 29, 2013
Angiogenesis and intrauterine growth restriction
1Department of Reproductive and Vascular Biology, The Medical School, Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK.
Human placental development involves co-ordinated angiogenesis and trophoblast outgrowth that are compromised in intrauterine growth restriction. Adaptive angiogenesis in IUGR placental villi is a result of an imbalance in the orderly progression of the expression profile of vascular endothelial growth factor, placenta growth factor and angiopoietin during placental development. VEGF receptors and the angiopoietin receptor Tie-2 are expressed on trophoblast, and their activation leads to trophoblast proliferation, migration and production of nitric oxide. Thus, these vascular factors act as autocrine regulators of trophoblast behaviour in the development of the utero-/feto-placental circulation, an action independent of their well-established roles in vascular endothelium.
Human placental development involves co-ordinated angiogenesis and trophoblast outgrowth that are compromised in intrauterine growth restriction. Adaptive angiogenesis in IUGR placental villi is a result of an imbalance in the orderly progression of the expression profile of vascular endothelial growth factor, placenta growth factor and angiopoietin during placental development. VEGF receptors and the angiopoietin receptor Tie-2 are expressed on trophoblast, and their activation leads to trophoblast proliferation, migration and production of nitric oxide. Thus, these vascular factors act as autocrine regulators of trophoblast behaviour in the development of the utero-/feto-placental circulation, an action independent of their well-established roles in vascular endothelium.
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