Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and its Receptors in the Placenta of Gravidas with Obesity

The paper describes a comparative morphological study of placentas obtained from women with obesity and normal body weight. The purpose of this research was to carry out immunohistochemical study VEGF and its receptors (VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3) in the placenta of gravidas with obesity. The study is based on the morphological analysis of 20 secundines after the timely delivery (39–40 weeks). The main group consisted of 14 women (aged 29–40), suffering from alimentary-constitutional obesity. The control group consisted of 6 patients (aged 23–37) with normal body weight and physiological pregnancy. In the main group, histological study of the placenta preparations, stained with hematoxylin and eosin, revealed that maturation degree of the villous tree corresponded to gestational age, along with moderately expressed compensatory-adaptive and involution-degenerative processes. The identified features of immunohistochemical distribution of VEGF expression and its receptor in placental tissue of women suffering from obesity, to a certain extent, reflect the processes related to compensation and abnormal functioning of the mother-placenta-fetus system in the presence of hypoxia and hyperlipidemia. Research results indicate unavoidable development of morphological changes in the placenta during pregnancy against the background of obesity. Decrease in body weight before pregnancy can reduce the risk of placental disorders and improve perinatal outcomes.