EXPRESSION OF ERM PROTEINS IN PLACENTA PREVIA

Senem Alkan Akalın¹, Ece Öcal², Veysel Toprak³, Engin Deveci^{4, *}

¹Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Private Medical Practice, Diyarbakir, Turkey - ²Department of Perinatology, Private Medical Practice, Diyarbakir, Turkey - ³Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Eyyübiye Education and Research Hospital, Şanlıurfa, Turkey - ⁴Department of Histology and Embryology, Dicle University, Medical School, Diyarbakir, Turkey

Objective: We investigated the immunohistochemical staining of ERM proteins expression in the placenta of pregnant women with placenta previa. 

Methods: 15 healthy and 15 placenta previa were processed for routine histological tissue processing. Samples were embedded in paraffin blocks. Placental sections were cut from paraffin blocks and stained with ERM immunostaining.

Result: Degenerative collagen fibers and edema were seen in root villi. Muscle cells were hypertrophied and degenerated. Increased fibrinoid accumulation and syncytial bridges and nodes, thinning of the basement membrane, and vascular dilatation were observed. The healthy group showed negative ezrin negative expression mainly in chorionic villi but it was positive in villous connective tissue. In the previa group, positive ezrin reactions were observed in vessels, fibroblast cells, and cytotrophoblasts. In the healthy group, negative radixin expression was observed in the syncytial structures. In the previa group, a positive reaction was observed in the basement membrane, endothelial cells of vessels, and connective tissue cells. In the healthy group, intense moesin expression was observed in vascular structures, connective and inflammatory cells. In the placenta, previa group, positive moesin expression was observed in endothelial cells, connective tissue cells, Hoffbauer cells, and muscle. 

Conclusion: ERM proteins are thought to be an important marker to investigate the pathologies formed in placenta previa.