Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.8
5.6
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications
ijms-logo
Submit to IJMS Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 December 2023) | Viewed by 4320

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Nihar Ranjan Nayak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UMKC School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
Interests: pregnancy; pregnancy disorders placenta; vascular remodeling; vascular development; preeclampsia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The human placenta is a temporary but highly complex organ of pregnancy. It serves as the interface between the mother and fetus to exchange and transfer nutrients and waste products. It performs the diverse functions of most other organs, including the liver, lung, kidney, and endocrine glands. Defects in placental functions have been implicated in the pathophysiology of most pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, placental abruption, preterm birth, and intrauterine growth restriction, which have enormous impacts on the lifelong health of mothers and the babies born to the mothers with these conditions. However, the molecular underpinnings of such placental defects are poorly understood.

This Special Issue aims to publish high-quality manuscripts with particular emphasis on the molecular understanding of the pathophysiology of pregnancy complications associated with placental diseases. We welcome reviews, new methods, short communications, and original articles covering all aspects of uterine and placental development and remodeling, maternal vascular adaptations and dysfunctions (both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period), fetal and neonatal diseases associated with vascular complications of pregnancy, and clinical studies and experimental models addressing pregnancy-related vascular complications.

We welcome your submissions of original papers and reviews based on results from molecular viewpoints.

Prof. Dr. Nihar Ranjan Nayak
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • placenta
  • pregnancy
  • placental diseases
  • placental development
  • pregnancy complications
  • uterine
  • maternal vascular adaptations
  • dysfunctions
  • postpartum
  • fetal
  • neonatal diseases
  • vascular complications
  • pregnancy-related vascular complications

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 5268 KiB  
Article
Prompt Placental Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Assessment after SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy—Our Perspective of a Small Group
by Daniela Eugenia Popescu, Ioana Roșca, Ana Maria Cristina Jura, Andreea Cioca, Ovidiu Pop, Nicoleta Lungu, Zoran-Laurențiu Popa, Adrian Rațiu and Mărioara Boia
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(3), 1836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031836 - 2 Feb 2024
Viewed by 688
Abstract
Research indicates compelling evidence of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission as a result of placental pathology. This study offers an approach to histopathological and immunohistochemical placental observations from SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers compared to negative ones. Out of the 44 examined placentas, 24 were collected from patients [...] Read more.
Research indicates compelling evidence of SARS-CoV-2 vertical transmission as a result of placental pathology. This study offers an approach to histopathological and immunohistochemical placental observations from SARS-CoV-2-positive mothers compared to negative ones. Out of the 44 examined placentas, 24 were collected from patients with a SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy and 20 were collected from patients without infection. The disease group showed strong SARS-CoV-2 positivity of the membranes, trophoblasts, and fetal villous macrophages. Most infections occurred during the third trimester of pregnancy (66.6%). Pathology revealed areas consistent with avascular villi (AV) and thrombi in the chorionic vessels and umbilical cord in the positive group, suggesting fetal vascular malperfusion (FVM). This study shows SARS-CoV-2 has an impact on coagulation, demonstrated by fetal thrombotic vasculopathy (p = 0.01) and fibrin deposition (p = 0.01). Other observed features included infarction (17%), perivillous fibrin deposition (29%), intervillous fibrin (25%), delayed placental maturation (8.3%), chorangiosis (13%), chorioamnionitis (8.3%), and meconium (21%). The negative control group revealed only one case of placental infarction (5%), intervillous fibrin (5%), delayed placental maturation (5%), and chorioamnionitis (5%) and two cases of meconium (19%). Our study sheds light on the changes and differences that occurred in placentas from SARS-CoV-2-infected mothers and the control group. Further research is necessary to definitively establish whether SARS-CoV-2 is the primary culprit behind these intricate complications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3077 KiB  
Article
Placental, Foetal, and Maternal Serum Metabolomic Profiles in Pregnancy-Associated Cancer: Walker-256 Tumour Model in a Time-Course Analysis
by Carla De Moraes Salgado, Laís Rosa Viana and Maria Cristina Cintra Gomes-Marcondes
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(17), 13026; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241713026 - 22 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1001
Abstract
Cancer during pregnancy presents a delicate coexistence, imposing ethical and professional challenges on both the patient and medical team. In this study, we aimed to explore in a pre-clinical model the impact of tumour evolution in serum, placental and foetal metabolomics profiles during [...] Read more.
Cancer during pregnancy presents a delicate coexistence, imposing ethical and professional challenges on both the patient and medical team. In this study, we aimed to explore in a pre-clinical model the impact of tumour evolution in serum, placental and foetal metabolomics profiles during pregnancy in a time-course manner. Pregnant Wistar rats were distributed into two experimental groups: Control (C) and Walker-256 tumour-bearing (W). The rats were euthanised on three different gestational periods: at 12 days post-conception (dpc), at 16 dpc, and at 19 dpc. Serum, placenta and foetal metabolomic profiles were performed by 1H-NMR spectra following the analyses using Chenomx NMR Analysis Software V8.3. The tumour evolution was exponential, affecting the placental metabolomic profile during all the pregnancy stages. The placental tissue in tumour-bearing dams developed at a lower speed, decreasing the foetus’s weight. Associated with the serum metabolomic changes related to tumour growth, the placental metabolomic alterations impacted many metabolic pathways related to energy provision, protein synthesis and signalling, which directly harmed the foetus’s development. The development of the foetus is clearly affected by the damage induced by the tumour evolution, which alters the metabolic profile of both the serum and the placenta, impairing early embryonic development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 2090 KiB  
Article
Epigenome-Wide Associations of Placental DNA Methylation and Behavioral and Emotional Difficulties in Children at 3 Years of Age
by Aurélie Nakamura, Lucile Broséus, Jörg Tost, Daniel Vaiman, Silvia Martins, Katherine Keyes, Kim Bonello, Mathilde Fekom, Katrine Strandberg-Larsen, Anne-Laure Sutter-Dallay, Barbara Heude, Maria Melchior and Johanna Lepeule
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(14), 11772; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241411772 - 21 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1202
Abstract
The placenta is a key organ for fetal and brain development. Its epigenome can be regarded as a biochemical record of the prenatal environment and a potential mechanism of its association with the future health of the fetus. We investigated associations between placental [...] Read more.
The placenta is a key organ for fetal and brain development. Its epigenome can be regarded as a biochemical record of the prenatal environment and a potential mechanism of its association with the future health of the fetus. We investigated associations between placental DNA methylation levels and child behavioral and emotional difficulties, assessed at 3 years of age using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in 441 mother–child dyads from the EDEN cohort. Hypothesis-driven and exploratory analyses (on differentially methylated probes (EWAS) and regions (DMR)) were adjusted for confounders, technical factors, and cell composition estimates, corrected for multiple comparisons, and stratified by child sex. Hypothesis-driven analyses showed an association of cg26703534 (AHRR) with emotional symptoms, and exploratory analyses identified two probes, cg09126090 (intergenic region) and cg10305789 (PPP1R16B), as negatively associated with peer relationship problems, as well as 33 DMRs, mostly positively associated with at least one of the SDQ subscales. Among girls, most associations were seen with emotional difficulties, whereas in boys, DMRs were as much associated with emotional than behavioral difficulties. This study provides the first evidence of associations between placental DNA methylation and child behavioral and emotional difficulties. Our results suggest sex-specific associations and might provide new insights into the mechanisms of neurodevelopment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

15 pages, 1078 KiB  
Review
Placental and Renal Pathways Underlying Pre-Eclampsia
by Paraskevi Eva Andronikidi, Eirini Orovou, Eleftheria Mavrigiannaki, Virginia Athanasiadou, Maria Tzitiridou-Chatzopoulou, George Iatrakis and Eirini Grapsa
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2741; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052741 - 27 Feb 2024
Viewed by 937
Abstract
Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy characterized by a state of multiorgan hypertensive disorders, with or without proteinuria and possible multiorgan dysfunction. Chronic kidney disease is an established risk factor for the development of pre-eclampsia, as angiogenic homeostasis is altered and the [...] Read more.
Pre-eclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy characterized by a state of multiorgan hypertensive disorders, with or without proteinuria and possible multiorgan dysfunction. Chronic kidney disease is an established risk factor for the development of pre-eclampsia, as angiogenic homeostasis is altered and the maternal circulation is already hypertensive. Facing pre-eclampsia in the context of chronic kidney disease is a challenging emergency for both the mother and the fetus. The clinical features and the management of this multi-organ disorder are clearly defined in the modern literature but the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms remain not fully elucidated. Understanding the pathophysiology that mediates the onset of pre-eclampsia itself and in synergy with chronic kidney disease is fundamental for developing prompt prevention strategies, treatment planning, and patient counseling. This review aims to summarize the main molecular mechanisms involved in the process of pre-eclampsia, with a particular focus on the role of the kidneys and hormonal pathways related to renal function in normal pregnancy and pre-eclamptic syndromes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Mechanisms of Placental Diseases and Related Pregnancy Complications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop