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Related Experiment Videos

Placental calcification: a metastatic process?

S H Poggi1, K I Bostrom, L L Demer

  • 1Nicholas S. Assali Perinatal Research Laboratory, Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. poggis@gunsun.georgetown.edu

Placenta
|July 7, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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Placental calcification, common with advancing pregnancy, likely occurs via a metastatic mechanism. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) were present but not linked to calcification, suggesting it

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Mineral Metabolism
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Placental calcification is a common finding that increases with gestational age.
  • The exact mechanism driving apatite mineralization in the placenta remains unclear, with possibilities including physiological, dystrophic, or metastatic calcification.
  • Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are known regulators of physiological calcification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of placental calcification.
  • To compare the mineral content of placental calcifications with other apatites.
  • To investigate the expression of BMPs in relation to gestational age.

Main Methods:

  • Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA) to determine the Ca/P ratio of placental calcifications.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Bioassay to detect biologically active BMPs.
  • Semiquantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to assess BMP mRNA expression across gestation.

    • Main Results:

    • The Ca/P weight ratio of placental calcifications was 2.00+/-0.05, consistent with metastatic calcification in a supersaturated environment.
    • Biologically active BMPs were detected in mature and postmature placentae.
    • mRNA expression of identified BMPs (PLAB, PDF, INSL-4) was independent of gestational age (7-41 weeks).

    Conclusions:

    • The identified BMPs are unlikely to be directly involved in placental calcification, arguing against a physiological mechanism.
    • The mineral composition suggests placental calcification occurs rapidly in a supersaturated environment, consistent with a metastatic mechanism.