Abstract
Regarding their endocrine and paracrine activities, endothelins can be considered as peptide hormones and growth factors. The presence of endothelin-1 (ET-1)-binding sites on smooth muscle of placental villous vessels, on villous trophoblast and on purified trophoblast in culture raises the question of the origin of the peptide. In placenta, endothelin could derive from maternal, fetal and/or endogenous sources. Therefore, localization of ET-1 was investigated by use of immunohistochemistry in human term placenta and in cultured trophoblast using the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex procedure. Specificity of immunostaining was demonstrated by applying ET-1 antibody that has been preabsorbed with excess peptide. In sections of placenta, ET-1 immunoreactivity (ET-1 IR) was specifically detected in the endothelium of the vessels and in the syncytiotrophoblast of the villi. ET-1 IR was also detected in the decidua-like cells and in the extravillous cytotrophoblast of the basal plate, a region where the maternal and fetal cells intermingle closely. The extravillous cytotrophoblast of the chorionic plate and of the placental septa also exhibited a strong ET-1 IR. For trophoblast culture cytotrophoblastic cells were obtained from placental villi by trypsin-DNase dispersion, further purified on Percoll gradient and enriched by employing a monoclonal anti-HLA class-I antibody. The trophoblastic origin of the cells was demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and by studying the secretion of gestational hormones during culture. After different periods of culture of purified cytotrophoblastic cells (1 to 5 days), ET-1 IR was observed in 95% of cells: cytotrophoblastic cells, trophoblast aggregates, and syncytiotrophoblast. The presence of ET-1,2 immunoreactivity (ET-1,2 IR) in the culture media was demonstrated by radioimmunoassay. A uniform daily production of the peptide was observed during at least 5 days (about 50 fmol/106 cells/24 h). Furthermore, trophoblastic cells which had been cultured during 5 days contained. significant amount of ET-1,2 IR (24 fmol/106 cells). The results suggest a trophoblastic origin for ET-1 and support the hypothesis of a paracrine and autocrine action of the peptide in the physiology of the trophoblast and of the placenta.
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Malassiné, A., Cronier, L., Mondon, F. et al. Localization and production of immunoreactive endothelin-1 in the trophoblast of human placenta. Cell Tissue Res 271, 491–497 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02913732
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02913732