Trophoblastic E-cadherin and TGF-beta expression in placenta percreta and normal pregnancies

This study aimed to evaluate whether trophoblastic transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and E-cadherin expression levels have a role in placenta percreta (PP) aetiopathogenesis.

This study was carried out in the Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pathology Departments of Harran University Medicine School. Forty-four women who underwent caesarean section for PP and other obstetric reasons were included in this study. PP was defined as the detection of placental invasion during the histopathological examination of the hysterectomy specimen, which passes the uterine wall as a whole layer and involves the uterine serosa. Placental tissue samples were collected from all pregnant patients to evaluate TGF-β and E-cadherin expression levels.

No significant difference was found in demographic features, including age, gestational week, number of pregnancies and body mass index, among the groups. Immunohistochemical staining against E-cadherin, a cell adhesion molecule, showed significantly reduced staining in PP patients (p = 0.048). TGF-β staining was also low in PP patients, but this difference was not significant (p = 0.107).

The findings of this study suggest that a decrease in trophoblastic E-cadherin expression may have an important role in PP aetiopathogenesis.