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Apoptosis in Human Term Placenta Is Not Increased during Labor but Can Be Massively Induced In Vitro¹

^a Research Laboratory on Reproduction and ^b Laboratory of Pharmacology, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1070 Bruxelles, Belgium ^c Unité Vétérinaire, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), B-1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium

Apoptosis in human placental villi is reported to increase until close to delivery. However, the involvement of the apoptotic process in the initiation of labor, and more particularly in relation to the decrease in placental perfusion during uterine contractions, remains unknown. The purpose of the study was to examine the reactivity of the apoptotic machinery in term placentae obtained before or after the onset of labor and after in vitro incubations.

The incidence of apoptotic nuclei (< 1%) as evidenced by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method, and the histological distribution of immunoreactive Bcl-2, Bax, and Bcl-x proteins, were similar in placentae collected after delivery and before the onset of labor and in placental explants maintained overnight at 4°C in a minimal salt-Hepes medium. By contrast, 28% of nuclei contained fragmented DNA when placental explants were incubated overnight at 37°C. This marked increase was associated with a decrease in the intensity of the Bcl-2 immunostaining and an increase in the intensity of Bax and Bcl-x immunostaining.

In conclusion, the present study clearly evidences the presence of an active apoptotic machinery in term placental cells that is not involved in normal parturition.

¹ This work was granted by the National Fund for Medical Research (Belgium, FRSM grant Nr 3.4531.93) from which S.M. and P.L. are Senior Research Associates. N.C. was supported by the Université Libre de Bruxelles, the Alice and David Van Buuren Foundation, and the Suzanne Maraite Fund.

² Correspondence: Nadia Cirelli, Research Laboratory on Reproduction, CPi 626, Faculty of Medecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808, Route de Lennik, B-1070 Bruxelles, Belgium. FAX: 32 2 555 63 56; ncirelli{at}ulb.ac.be

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