CD147: a critical factor in normal and pathological pregnancies

CD147 (Basigin/EMMPRIN) is a widely expressed trans-membrane glycoprotein. While its role in tumorigenesis is well-established, its functions in the process of pregnancy remain to be systematically elucidated. This review summarizes the expression patterns and functional mechanisms of CD147 in both normal and pathological pregnancies. During normal pregnancy, CD147 plays a critical role in embryo implantation, placental development, and pregnancy maintenance by regulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), promoting angiogenesis, participating in the construction of the maternal-fetal immune micro-environment, and modulating placental energy metabolism. In pathological pregnancies, aberrant CD147 expression is closely associated with various obstetric complications: its down-regulation is linked to pre-eclampsia, recurrent implantation failure, and fetal growth restriction, whereas its up-regulation may promote invasive behaviors in gestational choriocarcinoma and placenta accreta spectrum. This review emphasizes the "dual regulatory" characteristic of CD147 in pregnancy, highlighting its potential as a biomarker and therapeutic target, and proposes directions for future research.