Decreased Expression of Osteopontin and Integrin α_νβ_3 in the Placenta of the Patients with Preeclampsia

Objective To study the mRNA and protein expression of osteopontin(OPN)and its receptor integrin ανβ3 in the placenta of preeclampsia patients and their roles on pathogenesis of preeclampsia.Methods Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR were used to investigate the expression of OPN and ανβ3 protein and their mRNA in placenta of 20 women with preeclampsia(including 10 cases of mild preeclampsia,10 cases of severe preeclampsia)and 14 normal full term pregnant women respectively.Results The protein expressions of OPN and integrin ανβ3 were significantly decreased in the placenta from preeclampsia groups(P0.05),and there was more significant difference between the severe and mild preeclampsia groups(P0.05).Compared with the control group,the expression of OPN mRNA in preeclampsia groups was significantly lower(P0.05),but there was no significant difference in the expression of αν and β3 mRNA among three groups(P0.05).Conclusion The decreased expression of OPN and its receptor integrin ανβ3 may be a crucial role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia,and they directly correlate with the level of preeclampsia.