Chressen Catharina Remus MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Fabian Kording, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Nils Daniel Forkert, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Jan Sedlacik, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Emilia Solano, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Gerhard B. Adam MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Petra Arck, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Stress during pregnancy is known to have a negative effect on fetal outcome, possibly via placenta mediated pathways. The purpose of this study was to examine alterations in placental perfusion upon a stress challenge during pregnancy in mice.

MRI was performed on a 7Tesla scanner (ClinScan, Bruker, Germany) on 20 pregnant Balb/c mice on gestation day (gd) 16.5. 10 damns were exposed to an established model of acoustic stress challenge, 10 damns served as controls. For DCE-MRI, a contrast enhanced 3D T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence was used. Placental perfusion was calculated based on the steepest slope model in 2 placentas per damn. The two functional placental compartments, the highly vascularized labyrinth and the endocrine junctional zone, were assessed seperately. Immunohistochemistry, including staining for neoangiogenesis, was performed on placentas after imaging.

Perfusion increased significantly upon a stress challenge, compared to the control group (192 + 51 ml/ml/min vs. 141+ 28ml/ml/min ) (p< 0.001) in the highly vascularized labyrinth – the zone of oxygen and nutrition exchange of the placenta. This observation was supported by immunohistochemistry of the placentas, demonstrating an increased expression of the angiogenesis biomarker CD31 (p ≤ 0.01) and an increased count of small and medium vessels in the placental labyrinth of the stress challenged group (p ≤ 0.01).  

Placental perfusion increases upon a stress challenge during pregnancy, possibly by neoangiogenesis of small and medium size vessels.

Stress has a profound impact on fetal outcome and health conditioning, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Studying placental vascular alteration may help to understand these pathways.  

Remus, C, Kording, F, Forkert, N, Sedlacik, J, Solano, E, Adam, G, Arck, P, DCE MRI of the Placenta Reveals Alterations of Placenta Perfusion after a Stress Challenge during Pregnancy in Mice.  Radiological Society of North America 2014 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, - ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2014/14012875.html