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Placental calcification: ultrastructural and X-ray microanalytic studies.
Scanning Electron Microscopy
|January 1, 1985
Summary
Human placental calcification, a normal aging process, involves calcium hydroxyapatite depositing in membrane-bound vesicles within the chorionic villi basement membrane.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics
- Pathology
- Biomineralization
Background:
- Placental calcification is a common finding.
- It is generally considered a normal aspect of placental maturation and aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanism of calcification in human placentas.
- To elucidate the cellular and molecular processes involved in placental calcification.
Main Methods:
- Light and electron microscopy were used to examine eleven human placentas.
- X-ray microanalysis and electron diffraction were employed to characterize mineral deposits.
Main Results:
- Earliest calcification occurred along the trophoblastic basement membrane of chorionic villi with fibrinoid degeneration.
- Crystalline calcium deposits, identified as calcium hydroxyapatite, were found within membrane-bound vesicles derived from degenerating cells.
- These vesicles were particularly concentrated within the basement membrane.
Conclusions:
- Placental calcification involves the precipitation of calcium hydroxyapatite within extracellular membrane-bound vesicles.
- This mechanism is similar to calcification processes observed in other physiological and pathological tissues.
- The findings provide insight into the biomineralization process in the human placenta.