Publication: Modulation of apelin and APJ receptor in normal and preeclampsia-complicated placentas
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Date
2007
Authors
Cobellis, L. ; De Falco, M. ; Mastrogiacomo, A. ; Giraldi, D. ; Dattilo, D. ; Scaffa, C. ; Colacurci, N. ; De Luca, A.
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Publisher
Murcia : F. Hernández
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Apelin is an endogenous ligand of the human
orphan receptor APJ. This peptide is produced through
processing from the C-terminal portion in the pre-proprotein
consisting of 77 amino acid residues and exists
in multiple molecular forms. Although the main
physiological functions of apelin have not yet been
clarified, it is known that apelin is involved in the
regulation of blood pressure, blood flow and central
control of body fluid homeostasis in different organs.
Since human placenta is a tissue where vasculogenesis,
blood pressure and flow are dramatically important to
allow a normal embryonic and fetal growth and
development, the aim of the present study was to
investigate the immunohistochemical distribution of
apelin and APJ in normal placentas throughout
pregnancy and in preeclampsia-complicated placentas.
Specifically, we observed that in normal placentas the
expression levels of apelin decreased from the first to the
third trimester of gestation in both cytotrophoblast and
syncytiotrophoblast cells and in the stroma of placental
villi, in contrast with increased expression levels of APJ in the cytoplasm of cytotrophoblast cells and in the
cytoplasm of endothelial cells of normal placenta
samples. In contrast, in preeclampsia-complicated
pregnancies, we observed a very strong increase of
expression levels of both apelin and APJ receptor in all
the placental compartments, cytotrophoblast,
syncytiotrophoblast and stroma with a particular increase
in endothelial cells inside preeclamptic placental villi.
Our data seem to indicate an important role of apelin and
APJ in the regulation of fetal development through a
correct regulation of human placenta formation during
pregnancy. Moreover, the strong expression levels of
apelin and APJ in preeclamptic placentas, suggest their possible involvement in the onset of this pathology.
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