Melatonin: the watchdog of villous trophoblast homeostasis against hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis.

International audienceHuman placenta produces melatonin and expresses its receptors. We propose that melatonin, an antioxidant, protects the human placenta against hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced damage. Primary term villous cytotrophoblasts were cultured under normoxia (8% O2) with or without 1mM melatonin for 72h to induce differentiation into the syncytiotrophoblast. The cells were then cultured for an additional 22h under normoxia or subjected to hypoxia (0.5% O2) for 4h followed by 18h reoxygenation (8% O2) with or without melatonin. H/R induced oxidative stress, which activated the Bax/Bcl-2 mitochondrial apoptosis pathway and the downstream fragmentation of DNA. Villous trophoblast treatment with melatonin reversed all the negative effects induced by H/R to normoxic levels. This study shows that melatonin protects the villous trophoblast against H/R-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis and suggests a potential preventive and therapeutic use of this indolamine in pregnancy complications characterized by syncytiotrophoblast survival alteration

Quantitative PCR pitfalls: the case of the human placenta.

International audienceReverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a rapid and high throughput gene expression quantification technology. In order to obtain accurate results, several key experimental design and standardization steps must be rigorously followed as previously described in the Minimum Information for Publication of Quantitative Real-Time PCR Experiments (MIQE) guidelines. This study investigates the effect of reference gene normalization and the impact of RNA degradation on gene expression of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase in human placenta from pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus and their gestation-matched controls. The data presented here show how RNA quality and appropriate reference gene selection is not only important to obtain accurate and reproducible RT-qPCR data but how different and even opposite results can be reported if the key steps outlined in the MIQE guidelines are not followed. The procedures and associated results presented in this study provide the first practical application of the MIQE guidelines to placental analysis in normal and pathological pregnancies

Erratum to: Quantitative PCR Pitfalls: The Case of the Human Placenta.

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