Increase in placental apolipoprotein D as an adaptation to human gestational diabetes

Top: Western blot analysis in maternal side (ms) and fetal side (fs) of the apo D in placental samples from 30 women with uncomplicated pregnancies (N) and 20 women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Bottom: Relative amount of apo D (ASU, arbitrary scanning units) in ms and fs for the two groups of representative experimental data presented as means with standard error of the mean shown by vertical bars. Only significant differences are show. *ms vs fs; **N vs GDM.

Western blot analysis in maternal side (ms) and fetal side (fs) of the 4-HNE in placental samples from 30 women with uncomplicated pregnancies (N) and 20 women who developed gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Bottom: Relative amount of 4-HNE (ASU, arbitrary scanning units) in ms and fs for the two groups of a representative experiment data presented as means with standard error of the mean shown by vertical bars.

Immunohistochemical localization of apo D in term placentas of normal pregnancies (A, C, E, G) and GDM pregnancies (B, D, F, H). Note the strong signal in connective tissue around blood vessels (A, B) of the biggest villous branches. Positive macrophagic-like cells are very numerous in this tissue (insert). Decidual cells are slightly positive for apo D in normal placentas (C) but the signal increases in GDM samples. Immunostaining is also detectable in syncytiotrophoblast (arrows) of both placentas (E, F, G, H) but is more intense in GDM placentas, increasing besides trophoblast the number of positive mesenchymal cells (arrow heads). Scale bar, 50μm (A, B); 20μm (C–F); 10μm (G, H).

Immunostainning for 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) in placental tissue of normal (A, C) and GDM pregnancies (B, D-F). Low levels of immunoreactivity were observed in normal samples (A, C) when they were compared with GDM (B, D). Immunolabelling for 4-HNE presents similarities with apo D but syncytiotrophoblast displayed weak signal, whereas strong staining was present in endothelial cells of capillaries (arrow heads). Epithelial cells of amnion show a granular immunoreactivity in both samples (arrows) (E). Decidual cells showed low levels of immunoreactivity in GDM samples (F). Scale bar, 50μm (A, B); 20μm (C–E); 10μm (F).