We hypothesised that apoptosis in the placenta is increased in pregnant women whose pregnancies were complicated by pre-eclampsia as compared to normal pregnant women. Biopsy samples were obtained by punch biopsy from placental beds in 15 pre-eclamptic and 15 normotensive pregnant women during cesarean section. Apoptosis in syncytiotrophoblasts, syncytial cluster, extravillous cytotrophoblast, and decidual and stromal cells were evaluated by caspase-3, bax and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labelling (TUNEL) immunohistochemical methods. A significant involvement was observed via caspase-3 and TUNEL methods in the syncytiotrophoblasts, syncytial cluster and extravillous cytotrophoblast cells of the pre-eclamptic group versus normotensive group (p < 0.001). Caspase-3 method found significantly increased involvement in the pre-eclamptic group versus normotensive group (p < 0.001). Although bax method found significantly increased involvement in syncytiotrophoblasts in the pre-eclamptic group versus normotensive group (p < 0.001), no significant difference was found between the groups in terms of involvement of other cell groups (p > 0.05). Apoptosis in the placental bed is increased in pre-eclamptic woman.
Keywords: Apoptosis; TUNEL method; caspase-3; placental bed; pre-eclampsia.