Premium
Healthy and pre‐eclamptic placental basal plate lining cells: Quantitative comparisons based on confocal laser scanning microscopy
Author(s) -
Smith R.K.,
Ockleford C.D.,
Byrne S.,
Bosio P.,
Sanders R.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.20047
Subject(s) - basal plate (neural tube) , confocal laser scanning microscopy , laser microscopy , confocal , confocal microscopy , basal (medicine) , microscopy , confocal laser scanning microscope , biology , chemistry , pathology , microbiology and biotechnology , biophysics , placenta , optics , medicine , biomedical engineering , pregnancy , fetus , endocrinology , physics , genetics , insulin
Immunocytochemical confocal laser scanning microscope images of the monolayer of cells lining the intervillus space at the basal plate of term placentae were analysed using stereology. Immunoreactively‐distinct regions of this mosaic layer were measured. In basal plate from healthy pregnancies, trophoblast epithelium occupied 18.91% of the surface area and endothelium 60.81%. In pre‐eclampsia the equivalent areas were 15.57% and 67.63%. Acellular fibrinoid covers the remaining area and this component decreases in area in pre‐eclampsia. The statistically significant increase in the cellular endothelial compartment may be relevant to the hypertensive pathology of pre‐eclampsia as endothelial signalling plays a major role in regulation of blood pressure. Microsc. Res. Tech. 64:54–62, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.