Yamazaki Kaori, Masaki Noritaka, Kohmura-Kobayashi Yukiko, Yaguchi Chizuko, Hayasaka Takahiro, Itoh Hiroaki, Setou Mitsutoshi, Kanayama Naohiro
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
PLoS One. 2015 Nov 16;10(11):e0142609. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142609. eCollection 2015.
Placental villi play pivotal roles in feto-maternal transportation and phospholipids constitute a major part of the villous membrane. We have been developing and optimizing an imaging system based on a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI)-based mass spectrometer, which provides clear two-dimensional molecular distribution patterns using highly sensitive mass spectrometry from mixtures of ions generated on tissue surfaces. We recently applied this technology to normal human uncomplicated term placentas and detected the specific distribution of sphingomyelin (SM) (d18:1/16:0) in stem villi and phosphatidylcholine (PC) (16:0/20:4) in terminal villi. In the present study, we applied this technology to nine placentas with maternal or fetal complications, and determined whether a relationship existed between these specific distribution patterns of phospholipid molecules and the six representative pathological findings of placentas, i.e., villitis of unknown etiology (VUE), thrombus, atherosis, chorioamnionitis (CAM), immature terminal villi, and multiple branched terminal villi. In two placentas with the first and second largest total number of positive pathological findings, i.e., five and three positive findings, the specific distribution of SM (d18:1/16:0) in stem villi and PC (16:0/20:4) in terminal villi disappeared. The common pathological findings in these two placentas were atherosis, immature terminal villi, and multiple branched terminal villi, suggesting the possible involvement of the underperfusion of maternal blood into the intervillous space. On the other hand, the number of pathological findings were two or less in the seven other placentas, in which no specific relationships were observed between the differential expression patterns of these two phospholipids in stem and terminal villi and the pathological findings of the placentas; however, the specific distribution pattern of SM (d18:1/16:0) in stem villi disappeared in four placentas, while that of PC (16:0/20:4) in terminal villi was preserved. These results suggested that the absence of the specific distribution of PC (16:0/20:4) in terminal villi, possibly in combination with the absence of SM (d18:1/16:0) in stem villi, was linked to placental morphological changes in response to maternal underperfusion of the placenta.
胎盘绒毛在母胎转运中起关键作用，而磷脂构成绒毛膜的主要部分。我们一直在开发和优化一种基于基质辅助激光解吸/电离（MALDI）质谱仪的成像系统，该系统利用组织表面产生的离子混合物通过高灵敏度质谱提供清晰的二维分子分布模式。我们最近将这项技术应用于正常足月未合并并发症的人类胎盘，检测到鞘磷脂（SM）（d18:1/16:0）在干绒毛中的特定分布以及磷脂酰胆碱（PC）（16:0/20:4）在终末绒毛中的特定分布。在本研究中，我们将这项技术应用于9例有母体或胎儿并发症的胎盘，以确定磷脂分子的这些特定分布模式与胎盘的六种代表性病理表现之间是否存在关联，这六种病理表现即病因不明的绒毛炎（VUE）、血栓形成、动脉粥样硬化、绒毛膜羊膜炎（CAM）、未成熟终末绒毛和多分支终末绒毛。在两个病理阳性发现总数分别为第一和第二多的胎盘中，即有五项和三项阳性发现，干绒毛中SM（d18:1/16:0）和终末绒毛中PC（16:0/20:4）的特定分布消失。这两个胎盘的共同病理表现是动脉粥样硬化、未成熟终末绒毛和多分支终末绒毛，提示可能涉及母体血液向绒毛间隙灌注不足。另一方面，其他七个胎盘的病理发现数为两项或更少，在这些胎盘中，未观察到干绒毛和终末绒毛中这两种磷脂的差异表达模式与胎盘病理表现之间存在特定关联；然而，四个胎盘中干绒毛中SM（d18:1/16:0）的特定分布模式消失，而终末绒毛中PC（16:0/20:4）的特定分布模式得以保留。这些结果表明，终末绒毛中PC（16:0/20:4）特定分布的缺失，可能与干绒毛中SM（d18:1/16:0）的缺失相结合，与胎盘对母体胎盘灌注不足的形态学变化有关。
