Abstract
ObjectiveMaternal cigarette smoking is reportedly associated with miscarriage, fetal growth restriction and placental abruption, and is paradoxically associated with a decreased risk of developing preeclampsia. In the present study, we investigated the gene expression levels of villous tissues in early gestation. We compared the expression levels of the genes related to angiogenesis and apoptosis in the villous tissues obtained from smoking and non-smoking pregnant women.Materials and MethodsWe collected villous tissue samples from 57 women requesting surgical termination due to non-medical reasons at 6–8 weeks of gestation. The maternal cigarette smoking status was evaluated by the level of serum cotinine and patients were divided into active smokers and non-smokers by the serum cotinine level. The placental levels of VEGFA, PGF, FLT1, HIF1A, TP53, BAX and BCL2 mRNA were quantified by real time PCR.ResultsThe gene expression level of PGF and HIF1A in the active smoker group was significantly higher than that in the non-smoker group. We did not observe any significant differences in the VEGFA or FLT1 expression between the groups. In active smoker group, the gene expression levels of TP53 and BAX were significantly higher than those in the non-smoker group. The ratio of BAX/BCL2 mRNA in the active smoker group was significantly higher than that in the non-smoker group.ConclusionsOur findings revealed that smoking might affect the placenta during early pregnancy. Maternal cigarette smoking in early pregnancy may be associated with villus hypoxia, which may influence angiogenesis and apoptosis.
Highlights
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern in most industrialized nations
Maternal cigarette smoking in early pregnancy may be associated with villus hypoxia, which may influence angiogenesis and apoptosis
The participants were divided into two groups: a nonsmoker group (n = 32), with a serum cotinine level,1.0 ng/mL and an active smoker group (n = 20), with a serum cotinine level . 5.3 ng/mL
Summary
Cigarette smoking during pregnancy is a major public health concern in most industrialized nations. Despite a number of studies showing a decrease in the overall prevalence of smoking in women in the past 20 years, some studies have reported that 12– 15% of all women smoke while pregnant [1,2,3]. It is acknowledged that exposure to tobacco during pregnancy modifies important aspects of the placental function. Previous studies have shown that there are placental complications linked to cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy [4]. Smoking during pregnancy is associated with obstetric complications, spontaneous pregnancy loss, preterm premature rupture of the membrane, placental abruption and small-for-gestational-age birth [5,6,7]. Cigarette smoking is associated with a decreased risk of preeclampsia [8,9]
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