Extracellular Matrix Remodeling of the Umbilical Cord in Pre-eclampsia as a Risk Factor for Fetal Hypertension.pdfVIP

Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Pregnancy Volume 2011, Article ID 542695, 9 pages doi:10.1155/2011/542695 Review Article Extracellular Matrix Remodeling of the Umbilical Cord in Pre-eclampsia as a Risk Factor for Fetal Hypertension Lech Romanowicz and Zofia Galewska Department of Medical Biochemistry, Medical University of Białystok, ul. Mickiewicza 2, 15-089 Białystok, Poland Correspondence should be addressed to Lech Romanowicz, lroman@.pl Received 15 September 2010; Accepted 20 November 2010 Academic Editor: Antonio Farina Copyright © 2011 L. Romanowicz and Z. Galewska. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The human umbilical cord forms a connection between the placenta and the foetus. It is composed of two arteries and one vein surrounded by Wharton’s jelly. Pre-eclampsia is accompanied by extensive remodeling of extracellular matrix of umbilical cord. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are engaged in degradation of extracellular matrix proteins and activation/inactivation of certain cytokines and enzymes. These enzymes will probably play a central role in the release of matrix-embedded cytokines and growth factors. MMP-2 (gelatinase A) is the main collagenolytic enzyme of both umbilical artery and vein. Other metalloproteinases are present in several times lower amounts. Reduced activity of collagen-degrading enzymes may be a factor, which enhances the accumulation of collagen and some other proteins in the pre-eclamptic umbilical cord tissues. It seems to be possible that similar alterations occur in other fetal blood vessels. It may result in an incr