A comparison of the molecular distribution of proangiogenic factors in endometrium of missed abortions and of voluntary first trimester termination cases.

OBJECTIVE

The authors aimed to evaluate the angiogenic changes that occur in the cases with missed abortions compared with the voluntary termination of pregnancy as control group, with this controlled clinical study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included fifteen healthy volunteer women with unwanted pregnancy less than 10th gestational week in an academic research environment. The patients were 19 women between 6th and 11th gestational weeks diagnosed with missed abortion as the patient group. Immunohistochemistry was utilized to examine temporal and spatial expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their two receptors: VEGF-R1 (Flt-1) and VEGF-R2 (Flk-1/KDR), and Trombospondin-1, eNOS, iNOS, and HIF-1α in the both deciduas and placenta of the both groups.

RESULTS

This study discovered the significant difference (p < 0.005) between the groups of controlled and missed abortion in the decidual and placental cell components, and has put forward that thrombospondin and iNOS have an impact on abortion through antiangiogenic effect in cases of missed abortions.

CONCLUSIONS

The potential role of molecules affecting angiogenesis in the etiology of missed abortion has been evaluated and the authors aimed for this to be a guide for studies on further treatments and on the prevention of the development of missed abortions.