Expression of angiogenic and neurotrophic factors in the human amnion and choriodecidua.

Objective: Our objective was to identify the novel or differential expression of growth or development associated genes in the human gestational membranes that might play roles in pregnancy or in term or preterm parturition.

Study Design: Complementary DNA arrays were probed with [alpha(33)P]dCTP-labeled-complementary DNA that was prepared from the RNA of reflected amnion and choriodecidua that represent term not-in-labor, term spontaneous labor, and preterm labor with and without chorioamnionitis (n = 4 per group). Differential expression (term not-in-labor vs term spontaneous labor or preterm labor with chorioamnionitis vs preterm labor without chorioamnionitis) was evaluated by Wilcoxon tests.

Results: All 16 amnion samples expressed angiogenic factors (endothelin-2 and -3, vascular endothelial growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor-B) and neurotrophic factors (ephrin-A2, ephrin receptors-A2, -B1, -B3, -B4, and -B5, neuropilin-2, p75/nerve growth factor receptor and semaphorin-F). In both amnion and choriodecidua, the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and the angiopoietin receptor, Tie-2, were greater with term spontaneous labor than with term not-in-labor (P <.05); increased VEGF receptor-2 (flk-1) expression was observed in term spontaneous labor choriodecidua (P <.05) but not amnion. Ephrin-A1 expression increased with term spontaneous labor in both tissues (P <.05). Semaphorin-F expression decreased with preterm labor with chorioamnionitis in choriodecidua (P <.05), although the trend was not significant in amnion (P =.1).

Conclusion: Neurotrophic and angiogenic factor genes are expressed in amnion and choriodecidual membranes. Several of the genes exhibit differential expression with labor at term or in association with infection preterm, which suggests roles in or associated with these processes.