Placenta structural changes in heavy smoking mothers: a stereological aspect

Abstract

Objective: Smoking during pregnancy is able to alter the structure and function of the placenta. In the present study, quantitative changes of the placenta in smoking mothers were investigated compared to healthy controls by Cavalieri’s point counting method.

Methods: Twenty placentas from heavy smoking mothers and non-smoker controls (n = 10 in each group) were selected. Systematic uniform random sampling (SURS) was used for sample selection and tissue sectioning. Quantitative parameters of the placenta in the selected sections were estimated after Masson’s trichrome staining. Differences between the two groups were determined by the Mann Whitney U test and the significance level was set at p < .05.

Results: Results showed that there was a significant difference in the placental weight, total volume of placenta, intervillous space, fibrin and syncytiotrophoblast between the heavy smoker group and the control group (p < .05). The differences in the volume density of fibrin and blood vessels between the smoker and control groups were statistically significant (p < .05).

Conclusions: Our findings suggested that quantitative parameters of the placenta significantly changed in placentas from the smoker group compared to controls. These changes can probably be associated with pregnancy complications in smoking mothers and may affect the development and survival of the fetus and even its future life.

Keywords:

• Placenta
• pregnancy complications
• smoking
• trophoblast

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This work was supported by the Zahedan University of Medical Sciences.

Author contributions: Z.H. and H.M.-S. conceived and co-designed the study, supervised all the experimental design, statistical analyses and the interpretation of results, and revised the manuscript. N.S. participated in design, assisted with tissue collection, processing and staining, prepared the microscopic figures and drafted the manuscript. All authors read, modified and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

Z.H., H.M.-S. and N.S. have disclosed that they have no significant relationships with or financial interests in any commercial companies related to this study or article.

CMRO peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the smoking mothers and control group who willingly participated in this study. We are grateful to Dr. F. Ghanizadeh, unfortunately deceased in a car accident, for her contribution to the present study. Her memory will be with us forever.