Placental expression of ENG, VEGF, and FLT: Gender-specific associations with maternal vitamin B status.

OBJECTIVES

Adequate vitamin B is a requisite during pregnancy and its deficiency is linked with increased risk for adverse outcomes, likely mediated by impaired placental angiogenesis. Thus, we aimed to test associations of maternal vitamin B status with the placental expression of angiogenesis-associated genes ENG, VEGF, and FLT.

SUBJECTS/METHODS: In this retrospective case-control study, placental and maternal trimester 1 blood samples (n = 104) were collected from small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) full-term singleton pregnancies. Maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status was measured. Placentae and neonates were weighed at birth. Realtime quantitative PCR was performed to assess placental transcript abundance of ENG, VEGF, and FLT normalized to a panel of reference genes. Associations of placental transcript abundance of the genes with maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status were evaluated.

RESULTS

Placental ENG transcript abundance associated negatively with maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status (β = -0.461, P = 0.017, n = 104). This association was specific to the female births (β = -0.590, P = 0.014, n = 60). Placental VEGF transcript levels were negatively associated with maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status only in the female births (β = -1.995, P = 0.029). Placental FLT transcript levels were not associated with maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status.

CONCLUSION

Maternal trimester 1 vitamin B status was associated negatively with placental ENG and VEGF expression predominantly in the female births. Therefore, we hypothesize that the placenta adapts to low maternal vitamin B status by up-regulating angiogenic pathways in a gender-specific manner.