Age Related Changes in Human Placental Oxidative Stress and its Effect on Syncytial Apoptosis (Syncytial Knots Formation)

الملخص

Oxidative stress represents an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular mechanisms for detoxifying the reactive intermediates or repairing the resulting damage, in this study oxidative stress was evaluated by anti-Mda antibodies that directed against malondialdhyde (Mda) in different placental regions (cord insertion, central, and peripheral) in different age groups (preterm, term, and postdate), and correlated with syncytial apoptosis expressed as syncytial knots count that stained with Tunel stain. A significant variation was found in anti-Mda antibody among age groups in all placental regions and syncytial knots count in peripheral region only at p≤0.05, with a highly significant positive correlation between syncytial knot counts and oxidative stress in peripheral region at termat r.0.811, and significant negative correlation at r.0.003 in postdate group in peripheral region. We conclude that oxidative stress play a major role in syncytial apoptosis as formation of syncytial knots that later on detached and liberated into the maternal circulation, this effect is more pronounced in the peripheral region of the placenta due to its distance from umbilical cord blood supply.