Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics & Gynecology (CEOG) is published by IMR Press from Volume 47 Issue 1 (2020). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with S.O.G.
Immunohistochemical detection of apoptosis in the human term and post-term placenta
Purpose: To study the incidence of apoptosis in human term and post-term placenta and to determine its presence in different areas of placentas of uncomplicated pregnancies. Methods: A total of 15 placentas, 8 obtained from spontaneous deliveries and elective caesarean sections at term (37-41 weeks of pregnancy) and 7 from spontaneous deliveries and elective caesarean sections post-term (>41 weeks of pregnancy) were included in this study. Apoptosis was identified by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick end-labeling method (TUNEL, Boehringer, Mannheim, Germany) in paraffin-embedded sections. Results: Apoptosis was predominantly detected in trophoblast and stromal tissue. There were no significant differences in the incidence of apoptosis in different parts of placental tissue. A significant increase of apoptosis was seen in both trophoblast and stromal cells of post-term placentas (p < 0.05; p < 0.005). Conclusion: Apoptosis could be detected in the human term and post-term placenta, with increasing incidence in post-term placental tissue, suggesting a possible role of apoptosis in the mechanism of parturition and placental senescence.