Immunohistochemical study of Von Willebrand’s factor as a marker of endothelial dysfunction of utero-placental area and myometrium in pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction. During pregnancy, the uterus suffers a huge number of morphological changes. Placental changes lead to an adequate supply of the fetus and a normal process of childbirth. In particular, the uterine-placental area appears where the fertilized ovum attaches to the uterus. Myometrium increases in size and changes the spatial configuration. The objective of the study was to assess the relative immunohistochemical concentration of the von Willebrand’s factor in endothelial cells of different types of vessels of the uterine-placental area and myometrium in pregnancy. Material and methods. The biopsy material was obtained from pregnant women during the cesarean section. Three parts (central, pericentral, peripheral) of each biopsy were developed. Multiple paraffin sections were stained in three ways: 1) immunohistochemical von Willebrand’s factor staining with an antigen thermal exposure (DACO); 2) differentiated histochemical fibrin and collagen Slinchenko’s staining; 3) hematoxylin-eosin staining. Digital images were analyzed with a computer program ImageJ (1.48v, W. Rasband, National Institute of Health, USA, 2015). We also calculated the arithmetic mean and its average error for optical density (computer program PAST 3.19, Ø.Hammer, 2018). Results. The method was tested in 65 pregnant women during the cesarean section. The main results of the staining quantitative analysis in myometrium are: 1). Arterial type vessels 0.415±0.0029 units of optic density; 2). Venous type vessels 0.381±0.0024 units of optic density; 3). Microcirculatory system 0.375±0.0022 units of optic density. The main results of the staining quantitative analysis in uterine-placental area are 1). Arterial type vessels 0.404±0.0027 units of optic density; 2). Venous type vessels 0.380±0.0024 units of optic density; 3). Microcirculatory system 0.373±0.0021 units of optic density. Conclusions. Immunohistochemical study of von Willebrand’s factor allows investigation of the endothelial dysfunction in all types of vessels of both UPA and myometrium. This is very promising for the early detection of placental dysfunction and establishing of morphological preconditions for fetal insufficiency.

Keywords

• uterine-placental area
• myometrium
• pregnancy
• von Willebrand’s factor