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Objective: To investigate the changes of fatty acid oxidase in the placenta of preeclampsia cases with different clinical features, and the relationship with oxidative stress and inflammatory response. To study the correlation of serum free fatty acid (FFA) and triglycerides (TG) level in early second trimester with the molecular changes of the long-chain fatty acid oxidase in the third trimester., Methods: This was prospective cohort study, in which cases with singleton pregnancies who archived in Haidian Maternal and Children's Hospital, Beijing, from January 1st 2012 to May 31st, with regular prenatal care were included. Doppler ultrasound was used for screening for the presence of early diastolic notch of uterine artery at 22-24 weeks of gestation. All the 101 cases with the early diastolic notch of uterine artery were included as the notch group, and 377 cases without the early diastolic notch of uterine artery were included as the non-notch group. The perinatal outcomes and the incidence of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy of the two groups were observed. The serum level of FFA and TG was tested, and the mRNA and protein expression of long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD), P47-phox subunit of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase a (p38MAPK-α) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) were detected using real-time quantitative PCR and western blot. The relationship between serum level of FFA and TG and the mRNA and protein expression of LCHAD, NADPH P47-phox, p38MAPK-α and COX-2 of the placental tissue specimens were analyzed., Results: (1) In the notch group, there were 9 cases of early-onset preeclampsia, 15 cases of late-onset preeclampsia and 10 cases of gestational hypertension;and there were 8 cases of late-onset preeclampsia and 18 cases of gestational hypertension in the non-notch group. 15 cases with normal blood pressure in each group were randomly selected as the control group. (2)The serum level of TG of cases of early-onset preeclampsia, late-onset preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in the notch group were (2.0 ± 0.8), (1.8 ± 0.6)and (1.9 ± 0.7)mmol/L, and that of FFA were(0.68 ± 0.26), (0.52 ± 0.10) and (0.52 ± 0.17)mmol/L, respectively. The serum level of TG of cases of late-onset preeclampsia and gestational hypertension in the non-notch group were (1.6 ± 0.6) and (1.4 ± 0.4)mmol/L, and that of FFA were (0.49 ± 0.11) and (0.48 ± 0.05)mmol/L, respectively. The serum level of TG and FFA in the control group were (1.4 ± 0.5) and (0.52 ± 0.06)mmol/L, respectively. The TG level of the notch group was higher than that of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The FFA level of the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). (3) The mRNA expression of LCHAD in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly lower than that of the late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and the control group (P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of NADPH P47-phox of the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group were significantly higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and the control group (P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of p38MAPK-α of the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group were significantly higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and the control group (P < 0.01). The mRNA expression of COX-2 of the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group were significantly higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and the control group (P < 0.01). (4)The protein expression of LCHAD in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group and gestational hypertension in the notch group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.01); and the protein expression of LCHAD in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly lower than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group (P < 0.01). The protein expression of NADPH P47-phox in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and control group (P < 0.05). The protein expression of p38MAPK-α in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly higher than that of late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group and control group (P < 0.01). The protein expression of COX-2 in the placenta of early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, gestational hypertension in the notch group, late-onset preeclampsia in the non-notch group, and gestational hypertension in the non-notch group, were significantly higher than that of control group (P < 0.01). (5)The blood concentration of maternal FFA in the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly negatively correlated with the mRNA and protein expression of placental LCHAD (r = -0.810, -0.932, P < 0.01). There was no correlation between maternal TG level and the mRNA and protein expression of placental LCHAD in each group(P > 0.05). (6)The mRNA expression of placental LCHAD in the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly negatively correlated with the mRNA expression of placental NADPH P47-phox and COX-2 (r = - 0.877, -0.762, P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of placental LCHAD in the control group was significantly negatively correlated with the mRNA expression of placental COX-2 (r = -0.565, P < 0.01). The protein expression of placental LCHAD in the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group was significantly negatively correlated with the protein expression of NADPH P47-phox (r = -0.818, P < 0.01). The protein expression of placental LCHAD in the control group was significantly negatively correlated with the protein expression of COX-2 (r = -0.502, P < 0.01)., Conclusions: The placental mRNA and protein expression of long-chain fatty acid oxidation enzymes were different in different clinical features of preeclampsia, which were reduced more obviously in the early-onset preeclampsia in the notch group than that of the late-onset preeclampsia in the notch group, and were negatively correlated with the elevated serum FFA level, significantly enhanced oxidative stress and inflammatory response, but with no correlation with serum TG level.

Endocrine hormones are important factors in maintaining pregnancy as well as initiation of parturition. Progesterone is the major hormone maintaining myometrium quiescence, while glucocorticoids, prostaglandins and estrogen are among the major hormones involved in the initiation of parturition. Therefore progesterone withdrawal at the end of pregnancy is the prerequisite for the initiation of parturition. However, unlike most of the other species of mammals that the withdrawal of progesterone is achieved via reduction of progesterone synthesis or increased conversion of progesterone to estrogen, some mammals including the primates maintain high progesterone level throughout gestation and even during parturition. Accumulating lines of evidence indicate that the withdrawal of progesterone in human being is attained via the changes of the expression ratio of progesterone receptor subtypes and the changes of co-activators required for the activation of transcriptional activity of progesterone receptor. Here we reviewed the three major mechanisms, namely luteolysis, upregulation of placental P450c17 hydroxylase and changes of progesterone receptor functions, underlying progesterone withdrawal in late pregnancy in mammals.

Objective: To study the localization of ferroportin1 (FP1) protein, the protein and mRNA expression of FP1 in the last trimester placenta of different iron status of pregnant women., Methods: Forty placentas were collected from term pregnant women with different degrees of iron deficiency. The localization of FP1 protein of the placenta was determined by immunohistochemical staining. The expressions of FP1 protein and mRNA were assessed by means of Western Blot and real-time quantitative RT-PCR., Results: The results showed that FP1 protein was localized in the placental syncytiotrophoblast (STB) cells and predominantly in the cytoplasm. There were no significant changes at both protein and mRNA expression levels of placental FP1 of the pregnant women with different iron status., Conclusion: The expression of both protein and mRNA of FP1 of term placentas was not influenced by different degree of iron status of pregnant women.