VEGF, PIGF and HIF-1α in placentas of early- and late-onset pre-eclamptic patients

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the VEGF, PIGF, and HIF-1 alpha levels in the placentas of early-and late-onset pre-eclamptic patients, which are thought to be important in pathophysiology of pre-eclampsia. Material and method: Pre-eclamptic early-onset (n = 22) and late-onset (n = 24) pregnant women and a control group of healthy pregnant women (n = 22) were recruited for this case-control study. A semi-quantitative immunohistochemical analysis of VEGF, PIGF and HIF-1 alpha was performed in cross-sections of the placentas of the subjects, after which results were compared. Results: Levels of VEGF and PIGF in the placentas of pre-eclamptic patients were found to be lower than the levels in the placentas of healthy pregnant women (p<0.001 and p = 0.025, respectively), whereas the levels of HIF-1 alpha were found significantly higher (p<0.001). No difference was observed in terms of VEGF, PIGF and HIF-1 alpha in a comparison of the early-and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: The results of the study indicated that there is no relationship between the time of onset of pre-eclampsia and the placental changes that occur in these factors.