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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
03:53
Extracellular Vesicle Tissue Factor Activity Assay
Published on: December 29, 2023
Role of tissue factor in feto-maternal development: a xiphos
1Department of Biology, York College-CUNY, Jamaica, NY, USA. guillerminagirardi@gmail.com
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis : JTH
|November 13, 2010
Summary
Tissue factor (TF) is vital for healthy pregnancy but its abnormal expression causes complications like miscarriage and pre-eclampsia. Targeting TF may offer new therapies for recurrent pregnancy loss.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive immunology
- Hemostasis and thrombosis
- Maternal-fetal medicine
Background:
- Tissue factor (TF) plays a dual role in pregnancy, essential for development but implicated in complications.
- Pathologic TF expression is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage, preterm birth, and pre-eclampsia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of tissue factor in pregnancy.
- To investigate the therapeutic potential of targeting TF in pregnancy complications.
Main Methods:
- Review of human studies showing TF levels in abnormal pregnancies.
- Utilized two mouse models to study blood-borne TF in pregnancy complications.
- Investigated the role of TF on neutrophils and monocytes in embryo and trophoblast injury.
Main Results:
- Increased TF levels observed in human pregnancies with miscarriage, preterm birth, and pre-eclampsia.
- Blood-borne TF on immune cells critically mediates pregnancy loss in mouse models.
- Blocking TF or genetic reduction prevented pregnancy complications in mice.
Conclusions:
- TF is a critical mediator in pregnancy complications and a potential therapeutic target.
- Statins, by downregulating TF, may offer a therapeutic option for women with pregnancy complications.
- Clinical trials are warranted to validate TF-targeted therapies in humans.
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