EXPRESSION OF AQUAPORIN-3 (AQP3) IN HUMAN PREECLAMPTIC PLACENTA

SZPILBARG NATALIA; REPPETTI JULIETA; SIERRA MATÍAS N; DAMIANO, ALICIA E.; ANUD CAROLINA; MEDINA YOLLYSETH

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2017

Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias

Trophoblast apoptosis is exacerbated in preeclampsia. Recently,we have reported that the blocking of aquaporin 3 (AQP3) abrogatesthe apoptotic response of the trophoblast. In this context, we hypothesizedthat changes in placental AQP3 are required to trigger theprogrammed cell death.Our aim was to determine the expression of AQP3 in normal andpreeclamptic placentas.This study was approved by the ethics committee of the HospitalNacional Dr. Prof. A. Posadas.We performed semiquantitative western blot and PCR and immunohistochemistryto examine mRNA levels, protein expression andlocalization of AQP3 in normal and preeclamptic placentas.We demonstrated that AQP3 protein expression was reduced 45%compared to normal placentas (n =13, *p < 0.05), AQP3 mRNA decreased62% (n =13, *p < 0.05). Regarding AQP3 localization, it wasfound in apical membrane of syncytiotrophoblast in normal placentas,but it was undetectable in preeclamptic placentas.Our results show that the expression of AQP3 is dramatically reducedin preeclamptic placentas. At the light of our results we speculatethat the decreased expression of AQP3 might be an adaptiveresponse of the placenta to reduce trophoblast apoptosis which isrelated to the clinical manifestations of preeclampsia.