Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Severe preeclampsia (sPE) is a life threatening pregnancy disorder originating from the placenta. The exchange surface in the placenta is formed by a layer of syncytiotrophoblast (SCT) cells, which are formed and rejuvenated via terminal differentiation of the underlying proliferative villous cytotrophoblast (VCT) cells. The balance of VCT proliferation and differentiation is thought to be abnormal in sPE. Heparin, classically an anticoagulant drug, decreases recurrence in women at risk of sPE by 50% via unknown mechanisms. We studied the effects of heparin on proliferation and differentiation on trophoblast cells using human cell lines and mice. Heparin caused upregulated expression of PCNA, a proliferation marker, in choriocarcinoma BeWo cells as a model of VCT cells. Heparin in mice caused upregulated expression of suspected trophoblast progenitor markers (Eomes, Sca1), without altering syncytial differentiation. Hence we suspect that heparin improves pregnancy outcome by promoting VCT cell proliferation.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Farshad Ghasemi
Language: English
Subfield: Obstetrics and Gynecology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2890336161