Expression of angiopoietic factors in normal and type-I diabetes human placenta: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES Morphological changes of blood vessel wall have been described in placenta from pregnancies complicated by diabetes mellitus type-I. STUDY DESIGN We measured mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin 1 and 2 (Ang-1 and Ang-2), their receptors VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, Tie-2, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), and its receptor FGF-2R in placental tissue of diabetes type-I patients, in normal term placenta, and endometrium of non-pregnant women by real time reverse transcriptase PCR. RESULTS The expression of Ang-2 and VEGFR-1 mRNAs was significantly higher in placenta (P<or=0.01). The expression of VEGF and VEGFR-2 mRNAs was significantly lower in normal term or diabetes type-I placenta compared to human endometrium (P<or=0.01). We did not detect a significant difference in the expression of Ang-1, Ang-2, Tie-2, VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, FGF-2, and FGF-2R in normal and diabetes type-I placenta. CONCLUSION These data show differential expression of Ang-2, VEGFR-1, VEGF, and VEGFR-2 in placenta and endometrium. The expression of Ang-1, Ang-2, Tie-2, VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, FGF-2, and FGF-2R was not different in normal and type-I diabetes placenta.