STUDY OF PLACENTAL GROWTH FACTOR (PIGF) GENE EXPRESSION IN UNKNOWN EARLY PREGNANCY LOSS CASES: A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: The formation of new blood vessels represents a critical biological process essential for establishing functional placental circulation and supporting embryonic development. Multiple signaling molecules and growth factors regulate this vascular development. Defective angiogenesis and inadequate vascular network formation have been implicated in adverse pregnancy outcomes and significantly elevate the probability of pregnancy loss. Objective: This investigation was designed to evaluate the hypothesis that impaired placental vascularization and compromised angiogenic capacity may contribute to early pregnancy loss. Specifically, we examined placental growth factor (PIGF) mRNA expression levels to determine whether altered PIGF expression represents a mechanistic factor underlying early pregnancy loss through impaired placental angiogenesis. Materials and Method: We analyzed PIGF mRNA expression levels in maternal blood serum and villous tissue samples obtained from 30 women experiencing first-trimester pregnancy loss. Tissue samples were collected following institutional ethics approval and participant informed consent protocols. Result: Quantitative analysis revealed significantly diminished PIGF mRNA transcript levels in placental tissue samples from women with early pregnancy loss compared to its expression in blood of same cases. This downregulation of PIGF was more pronounced in the placental tissue (0.27 fold) relative to maternal blood samples (1.24 fold), suggesting that compromised placental PIGF expression may have a pathological role. Conclusion: The findings indicate that early pregnancy loss is associated with suppressed placental expression of the PIGF gene, suggesting that reduced PIGF availability negatively impacts placental vascular development and increases pregnancy loss risk. These results may establish PIGF as a potential molecular marker for identifying high-risk pregnancies in the first trimester and warrant further investigation into PIGF-targeted therapeutic interventions.