Somerset D A, Jauniaux E, Strain A J, Afford S, Kilby M D
Division of Reproductive and Child Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
J Soc Gynecol Investig. 2000 Nov-Dec;7(6):333-7.
To determine whether human placenta secretes hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and could influence fetal liver development.
Expression of HGF and c-met mRNA in paired samples of first- and second-trimester fetal liver and placenta was compared using a quantitative ribonuclease protection assay. Serum HGF concentration in 30 samples of paired umbilical and maternal blood from term pregnancies was evaluated using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
HGF and c-met mRNA were expressed at similar levels in liver and placenta, with expression increasing from 9 to 16 weeks' gestation. Median serum HGF values were 1.4 ng/mL (maternal venous), 1.2 ng/mL (cord venous), and 1.3 ng/mL (cord arterial). The maternal venous HGF levels were significantly higher than fetal venous levels (P =.02).
This study does not support the hypothesis that the placenta secretes HGF, because maternal serum levels were higher than fetal and there was no significant difference between umbilical arterial and venous samples. Fetal liver expresses abundant HGF mRNA during the first and second trimester and expression increases in line with receptor (c-met) expression, suggesting that hepatic growth and development are independent of placental HGF.
确定人胎盘是否分泌肝细胞生长因子（HGF）及其是否会影响胎儿肝脏发育。
采用定量核糖核酸酶保护分析法比较孕早期和孕中期胎儿肝脏与胎盘配对样本中HGF和c-met mRNA的表达。使用酶联免疫吸附测定法评估30例足月妊娠的脐血和母血配对样本中的血清HGF浓度。
肝脏和胎盘中HGF和c-met mRNA表达水平相似，且从妊娠9周增加至16周。血清HGF中位数分别为1.4 ng/mL（母静脉血）、1.2 ng/mL（脐静脉血）和1.3 ng/mL（脐动脉血）。母静脉血中HGF水平显著高于胎儿静脉血水平（P = 0.02）。
本研究不支持胎盘分泌HGF的假说，因为母血中HGF水平高于胎儿，且脐动脉血和脐静脉血样本之间无显著差异。孕早期和孕中期胎儿肝脏表达丰富的HGF mRNA，且其表达随受体（c-met）表达增加而增加，提示肝脏生长发育独立于胎盘HGF。
