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Regional changes of placental vascularization in preeclampsia: A review

Preeclampsia is characterized by vascular dysfunction and results in maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. The placenta plays a critical role in the growth and development of the fetus, and recent studies indicate that placental architecture, oxygen availability, and oxidative stress indices vary across different regions of the placenta. Our earlier studies have reported altered maternal angiogenesis and differential placental gene expression and methylation patterns of angiogenic factors in women with preeclampsia when compared with normotensive women. We have also demonstrated lower maternal and placental neurotrophin (NT) levels in women with preeclampsia. Studies suggest that oxidative stress is associated with proteases like matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and growth factors like NTs and angiogenic factors known to be involved in the process of angiogenesis. Recently, we have reported regionwise differential oxidative stress, antioxidant enzyme activity, and NT levels in placenta from normotensive control women and women with preeclampsia. The current review describes the regional changes in the placenta and highlights the role of placental oxidative stress in influencing regional differences in the expression of angiogenic factors, MMPs, and NTs. This review discusses the need for further research on various growth factors and proteins involved in the process of placental development across different regions of the placenta. This would help to understand whether regional differences in these factors affect the growth and development of the fetus. © 2015 IUBMB Life, 67(8):619–625, 2015