Abstract
Purpose
The present study was designed to examine apoptotic cell death via the caspase-dependent pathway in human fetal membranes.
Methods
Amniotic membrane samples were collected from three groups of women: group 1, women with preterm premature rupture of fetal membranes (PPROM) after cesarean delivery (n = 10), group 2, women with preterm labor (PTL) with intact membranes after cesarean delivery (n = 9) and group 3, women with term labor and vaginal delivery after an uncomplicated pregnancy (controls) (n = 11).
Results
Active caspase-3 immunopositivity (ACPI) of the PPROM group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05). ACPI was higher in the PTL with intact membranes group as compared to the control group; however, it did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05).
Conclusion
Active caspase-3 positivity is increased in the fetal membranes of those women with PPROM.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gibbs RS, Blanco JD (1982) Premature rupture of the membranes. Obstet Gynecol 60:671–679
Miller HC, Jekel JF (1989) Epidemiology of spontaneous premature rupture of membranes: factors in preterm births. Yale J Biol Med 62:241–251
Méhats C, Schmitz T, Marcellin L et al (2011) Biochemistry of fetal membranes rupture. Gynecol Obstet Fertil 39(6):365–369
Connon CJ, Nakamura T, Hopkinson A et al (2007) The biomechanics of amnion rupture: an X-ray diffraction study. PLoS One 2(11):e1147
Cox SM, Williams ML, Leveno KJ (1998) The natural history of preterm ruptured membranes. Obstet Gynecol 71:558–567
French JI, McGregor JA (1996) The pathobiology of premature rupture of membranes. Semin Perinatol 20:344–368
Menon R, Fortunato SJ (2004) The role of matrix degrading enzymes and apoptosis in rupture of membranes. J Soc Gynecol Investig 11(7):427–437
Alger LS, Pupkin MJ (1986) Etiology of preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Clin Obstet Gynecol 29:758–770
Menon R, Fortunato SJ (2007) Infection and the role of inflammation in preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology 21(3):467–478
Lei H, Furth EE, Kalluri R et al (1996) A program of cell death and extracellular matrix degradation is activated in the amnion before the onset of labor. J Clin Invest 98:1971–1978
Fortunato SJ, Menon R, Lombardi SJ (2001) Support for an infection-induced apoptotic pathway in human fetal membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 184:1392–1398
Menon R, Lombardi SJ, Fortunato SJ (2002) TNF-α promotes caspase activation and apoptosis in human fetal membranes. J Assist Reprod Genet 19(4):201–204
Kerr JF, Wyllie AH, Currie AR (1972) Apoptosis: a basic biological phenomenon with wide-ranging implications in tissue kinetics. Br J Cancer 25:239–257
Grutter MG (2000) Caspases: key players in programmed cell death. Curr Opin Struct Biol 10(6):649–655
Fortunato SJ, Menon R (2001) Distinct molecular events suggest different pathways for preterm labor and premature rupture of membranes. Am J Obstet Gynecol 184:1399–1405
Fortunato SJ, Menon R, Lombardi SJ (2000) Programmed cell death (apoptosis): a possible pathway to metalloproteinase activation and fetal membrane degradation in PROM. Am J Obstet Gynecol 182:1468–1476
Tanir HM, Sener T, Artan S, Kaytaz B, Sahin-Mutlu F, Ozen ME (2005) Programmed cell death (apoptosis) in placentas from normal pregnancy and pregnancy complicated by term (t) and preterm (p) premature rupture of membranes (PROM). Arch Gynecol Obstet 3:1–6
Redline RW, Faye-Petersen O, Heller D, Qureshi F, Savell V, Vogler C (2003) Amniotic infection syndrome: nosology and reproducibility of placental reaction patterns. Pediatr Dev Pathol 6:435–448
Redline RW, Wilson-Costello D, Borawski E, Fanaroff AA, Hack M (1998) Placental lesions associated with neurologic impairment and cerebral palsy in very low-birth-weightinfants. A Arch Pathol Lab Med 122:1091–1098
George RB, Kalich J, Yonish B, Murtha AP (2008) Apoptosis in the chorion of fetal membranes in preterm prematüre rupture of membranes. Am J Perinatol 25(1):29–32
Deftereou TE, Lambropoulou M, Chatzaki E, Koffa M, Ypsilantis P, Pagonopoulou O, Grammatikopoulou I, Papadopoulos E, Papalambros A, Kontomanolis E, Papadopoulos N (2012) Increased apoptotic activity on inflammatory human placentas in spontaneous abortions during the first andsecond trimester of gestation: a histochemical and immunohistochemical study. Folia Histochem Cytobiol 50(1):118–124
Menon R, Fortunato SJ, Yu J, Milne GL, Sanchez S, Drobek CO, Lappas M, Taylor RN (2011) Cigarette smoke induces oxidative stress and apoptosis in normal term fetal membranes. Placenta 32(4):317–322
Cryns VL, Yuan J (1998) The cutting edge: Caspases in apoptosis and dissease. In: Lockshin RA, Zakeri Z, Tilly JL (eds) When Cell Die. Wiley-Liss, New York, p 177
Edinger AL, Thompson CB (2004) Death by design: apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy. Curr Opin Cell Biol 16(6):663–669
Conflict of interest
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Saglam, A., Ozgur, C., Derwig, I. et al. The role of apoptosis in preterm premature rupture of the human fetal membranes. Arch Gynecol Obstet 288, 501–505 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-013-2774-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-013-2774-3