Concentration of free vascular endothelial growth factor and its soluble receptor, sFlt-1 in the maternal and fetal circulations of normal term pregnancies at high and low altitudes

References

• Ferrara N, Gerber HP, LeCouter J. The biology of VEGF and its receptors. Nat Med 2003;9:669–676.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Folkman J, Shing Y. Angiogenesis. J Biol Chem 1992;267:10931–10934.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Risau W, Flamme I. Vasculogenesis. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol 1995;11:73–91.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Risau W. Mechanisms of angiogenesis. Nature 1997;386:671–674.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Holmes DI, Zachary I. The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family: angiogenic factors in health and disease. Genome Biol 2005;6:209.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Wheeler T, Elcock CL, Anthony FW. Angiogenesis and the placental environment. Placenta 1995;16:289–296.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ray PS, Jia J, Yao P, Majumder M, Hatzoglou M, Fox PL. A stress-responsive RNA switch regulates VEGFA expression. Nature 2009;457:915–919.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Khalil A, Muttukrishna S, Harrington K, Jauniaux E. Effect of antihypertensive therapy with alpha methyldopa on levels of angiogenic factors in pregnancies with hypertensive disorders. PLoS ONE 2008;3:e2766.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Troisi R, Braekke K, Harsem NK, Hyer M, Hoover RN, Staff AC. Blood pressure augmentation and maternal circulating concentrations of angiogenic factors at delivery in preeclamptic and uncomplicated pregnancies. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;199:653.e1–653.10.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tissot van Patot MC, Leadbetter G, Keyes LE, Bendrick-Peart J, Beckey VE, Christians U, Hackett P. Greater free plasma VEGF and lower soluble VEGF receptor-1 in acute mountain sickness. J Appl Physiol 2005;98:1626–1629.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Kaufmann P, Bruns U, Leiser R, Luckhardt M, Winterhager E. The fetal vascularisation of term human placental villi. II. Intermediate and terminal villi. Anat Embryol 1985;173:203–214.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Kaufmann P, Luckhardt M, Schweikhart G, Cantle SJ. Cross-sectional features and three-dimensional structure of human placental villi. Placenta 1987;8:235–247.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Forsythe JA, Jiang BH, Iyer NV, Agani F, Leung SW, Koos RD, Semenza GL. Activation of vascular endothelial growth factor gene transcription by hypoxia-inducible factor 1. Mol Cell Biol 1996;16:4604–4613.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Detmar M, Brown LF, Schön MP, Elicker BM, Velasco P, Richard L, Fukumura D, et al. Increased microvascular density and enhanced leukocyte rolling and adhesion in the skin of VEGF transgenic mice. J Invest Dermatol 1998;111:1–6.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Suri C, McClain J, Thurston G, McDonald DM, Zhou H, Oldmixon EH, Sato TN, Yancopoulos GD. Increased vascularization in mice overexpressing angiopoietin-1. Science 1998;282:468–471.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Odorisio T, Schietroma C, Zaccaria ML, Cianfarani F, Tiveron C, Tatangelo L, Failla CM, Zambruno G. Mice overexpressing placenta growth factor exhibit increased vascularization and vessel permeability. J Cell Sci 2002;115:2559–2567.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Reshetnikova OS, Burton GJ, Milovanov AP. Effects of hypobaric hypoxia on the fetoplacental unit: the morphometric diffusing capacity of the villous membrane at high altitude. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1994;171:1560–1565.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mayhew TM, Charnock-Jones DS, Kaufmann P. Aspects of human fetoplacental vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. III. Changes in complicated pregnancies. Placenta 2004;25:127–139.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kendall RL, Wang G, Thomas KA. Identification of a natural soluble form of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, FLT-1, and its heterodimerization with KDR. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1996;226:324–328.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Malamitsi-Puchner A, Tziotis J, Tsonou A, Protonotariou E, Sarandakou A, Creatsas G. Changes in serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in males and females throughout life. J Soc Gynecol Investig 2000;7:309–312.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Ali KZ, Burton GJ, Khalid ME, Moosa R, Abd-Alla S. Concentrations of free vascular endothelial growth factor in the maternal and foetal circulations during pregnancy: a cross-sectional study. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2010;23:1244–1248.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Banks RE, Forbes MA, Searles J, Pappin D, Canas B, Rahman D, Kaufmann S, et al. Evidence for the existence of a novel pregnancy-associated soluble variant of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, Flt-1. Mol Hum Reprod 1998;4:377–386.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hornig C, Barleon B, Ahmad S, Vuorela P, Ahmed A, Weich HA. Release and complex formation of soluble VEGFR-1 from endothelial cells and biological fluids. Lab Invest 2000;80:443–454.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Maynard SE, Min JY, Merchan J, Lim KH, Li J, Mondal S, Libermann TA, et al. Excess placental soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) may contribute to endothelial dysfunction, hypertension, and proteinuria in preeclampsia. J Clin Invest 2003;111:649–658.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Levine RJ, Maynard SE, Qian C, Lim KH, England LJ, Yu KF, Schisterman EF, et al. Circulating angiogenic factors and the risk of preeclampsia. N Engl J Med 2004;350:672–683.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Carmeliet P, Ferreira V, Breier G, Pollefeyt S, Kieckens L, Gertsenstein M, Fahrig M, et al. Abnormal blood vessel development and lethality in embryos lacking a single VEGF allele. Nature 1996;380:435–439.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Burton GJ, Jauniaux E. Sonographic, stereological and Doppler flow velocimetric assessments of placental maturity. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1995;102:818–825.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Clark DE, Smith SK, He Y, Day KA, Licence DR, Corps AN, Lammoglia R, Charnock-Jones DS. A vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist is produced by the human placenta and released into the maternal circulation. Biol Reprod 1998;59:1540–1548.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Charnock-Jones DS, Sharkey AM, Boocock CA, Ahmed A, Plevin R, Ferrara N, Smith SK. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor localization and activation in human trophoblast and choriocarcinoma cells. Biol Reprod 1994;51:524–530.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Clark DE, Smith SK, Sharkey AM, Charnock-Jones DS. Localization of VEGF and expression of its receptors flt and KDR in human placenta throughout pregnancy. Hum Reprod 1996;11:1090–1098.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Drewlo S, Levytska K, Sobel M, Baczyk D, Lye SJ, Kingdom JC. Heparin promotes soluble VEGF receptor expression in human placental villi to impair endothelial VEGF signaling. J Thromb Haemost 2011;9:2486–2497.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mayhew TM, Jackson MR, Boyd PA. Changes in oxygen diffusive conductances of human placentae during gestation (10-41 weeks) are commensurate with the gain in fetal weight. Placenta 1993;14:51–61.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gunga HC, Kirsch K, Röcker L, Behn C, Koralewski E, Davila EH, Estrada MI, et al. Vascular endothelial growth factor in exercising humans under different environmental conditions. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 1999;79:484–490.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Ali KZ. Stereological study of the effect of altitude on the trophoblast cell populations of human term placental villi. Placenta 1997;18:447–450.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Li H, Gu B, Zhang Y, Lewis DF, Wang Y. Hypoxia-induced increase in soluble Flt-1 production correlates with enhanced oxidative stress in trophoblast cells from the human placenta. Placenta 2005;26:210–217.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Tintu A, Rouwet E, Verlohren S, Brinkmann J, Ahmad S, Crispi F, van Bilsen M, et al. Hypoxia induces dilated cardiomyopathy in the chick embryo: mechanism, intervention, and long-term consequences. PLoS ONE 2009;4:e5155.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Soma H, Watanabe Y, Hata T. Chorangiosis and chorangioma in three cohorts of placentas from Nepal, Tibet, and Japan. Reprod Fertil Dev 1995;7:1533–1538.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Burton GJ, Charnock-Jones DS, Jauniaux E. Regulation of vascular growth and function in the human placenta. Reproduction 2009;138:895–902.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kingdom JC, Kaufmann P. Oxygen and placental villous development: origins of fetal hypoxia. Placenta 1997;18:613–21; discussion 623.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Ahmed A, Dunk C, Ahmad S, Khaliq A. Regulation of placental vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placenta growth factor (PIGF) and soluble Flt-1 by oxygen–a review. Placenta 2000;21 Suppl A:S16–S24.
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Kendall RL, Thomas KA. Inhibition of vascular endothelial cell growth factor activity by an endogenously encoded soluble receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993;90:10705–10709.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cindrova-Davies T, Sanders DA, Burton GJ, Charnock-Jones DS. Soluble FLT1 sensitizes endothelial cells to inflammatory cytokines by antagonizing VEGF receptor-mediated signalling. Cardiovasc Res 2011;89:671–679.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar