[Study on association of vascular endothelial growth factor with the pathogenesis of pregnancy induced hypertension]

To investigate relationship between the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the pathogenesis of pregnancy induced hypertension syndrome (PIHs).

Twenty-three women with PIHs and twenty normal pregnant women were studied. The levels of VEGF in maternal and umbilical venous serum, placenta and decidual tissue from normal pregnancy and PIHs women were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry. Furthermore, the expression of VEGF mRNA in placenta and decidua was examined by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

(1) The levels of VEGF in maternal blood were significantly lower in PIHs women than that in normal pregnancies women (10.4 +/- 3.8) ng/L and (17.0 +/- 9.3) ng/L (P < 0.01). (2) The average gray of VEGF was determined on sections of placenta and decidua from PIHs or pregnancies women by computer image analysis. The expression of VEGF in placenta and decidua (69.0 +/- 8.9) and (55.0 +/- 7.3) was decreased significantly in PIHs women than that in normal pregnancies women (75.0 +/- 9.0) and (60.5 +/- 6.4, P < 0.05). (3) The transcription levels of the VEGF mRNA in placenta and decidua were increased significantly in PIHs women than those in normal pregnancies women (4.6 +/- 3.2 vs 2.8 +/- 1.0; 6.3 +/- 2.9 vs 3.9 +/- 1.5, P < 0.01).

These findings suggested that the abnormal expression of VEGF in PIHs occurred within the low-stream of genic transcription. It was considered that the abnormal expression of VEGF may play an important role in the pathogenesis of placental ischemia in PIHs.