muramidase and Abortion--Spontaneous

The presence of various proteins (mostly serum proteins) has been investigated in the chorionic villi of human placentas in the first term of gestation. The peroxidase-antiperoxidase method was employed. In normal chorionic tissue, i.e. obtained from therapeutic abortions, a positive staining for alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT), alpha 1-antichymotrypsin (A1AC), albumin and IgG was observed in syncytiotrophoblast but not in cytotrophoblast. Staining for other proteins, including fibrinogen, antithrombin III (AT III), lysozyme, ferritin, orosomucoid, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), IgA, IgM and alpha 2-macroglobulin (A2M), was always negative in the trophoblast. Similar results were obtained in only a few cases of tissue obtained from spontaneous abortions which occurred during the first term of pregnancy. In the majority of spontaneous abortions a different immunohistochemical pattern was observed. The syncytiotrophoblast was immunonegative in the majority of cases, especially for albumin, whereas the cytotrophoblast showed a positive (although variable) reaction to A1AT, A1AC, albumin, IgG and orosomucoid antibodies. There is no evidence to indicate whether these differences are the cause or the secondary result of the spontaneous abortions, but we can hypothesize that they reflect an alteration of pinocytic functions of the trophoblast during the spontaneous abortions.

Topics: Abortion, Induced; Abortion, Spontaneous; alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin; alpha 1-Antitrypsin; alpha-Fetoproteins; Blood Proteins; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Chorionic Villi; Female; Ferritins; Fibrinogen; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Immunoglobulins; Muramidase; Orosomucoid; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First

Topics: Abortion, Spontaneous; Acid Phosphatase; Alkaline Phosphatase; Amnion; Female; Humans; Microscopy, Fluorescence; Muramidase; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Trimester, First