Molecular Pathology of the Placenta in 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: 30 November 2025 | Viewed by 21
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Szeged, H-6725 Szeged, Hungary
Interests: molecular, ultrasound and clinical characterization of pregnancy complications; placental histology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: perinatal ultrasound; serum markers for complications of pregnancy; histopathology of the placenta; neonatal pathological conditions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Trophoblast invasion is essential in early pregnancy for remodeling maternal spiral arteries and ensuring adequate placental blood flow to support fetal development. This process involves three trophoblast subtypes: syncytiotrophoblast, responsible for nutrient exchange and hormone secretion; cytotrophoblast, which acts as a proliferative progenitor; and extravillous trophoblast, which invades maternal tissue and remodels vasculature. Dysregulated trophoblast invasion is linked to pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), and hypertensive disorders. Several maternal serum biomarkers reflect placental function, including placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), as well as endoglin and laeverin. Endoglin, a TGF-β co-receptor, is key in angiogenesis, while laeverin, expressed by extravillous trophoblasts, aids invasion. Despite this, many placental proteins and molecular factors—such as inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), angiogenic modulators (angiopoietins), extracellular matrix proteins, and oxidative stress markers—are underexplored in maternal serum. Environmental factors like hypoxia, metabolic status, immune interactions, epigenetic regulation, and signaling pathways (Notch, Wnt, TGF-β) also affect trophoblast function. The limited profiling of these molecules presents a research gap in early prediction of complications like GDM and hypertensive disorders. New insights addressing these gaps are awaited to enhance biomarker discovery, diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies for improved maternal-fetal outcomes. This Special Issue also focuses on new technical tools in this field: organoids/assembloids, spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, single-cell epigenomics/transcriptomics and targeted delivery to the placenta.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Zoltan Kozinszky
Dr. Andrea Suranyi
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- pregnancy complications
- placental histology
- biomarker
- trophoblast invasion
- molecular diagnostics and therapeutics
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