Objectives: This study Aims to explore the role of placental Cripto-1 in the incidence of an adherent placenta.
Material and methods: Ten pregnant women with placenta increta, 20 pregnant women with placenta previa and 30 women with normal pregnant were enrolled in this study. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the expression of Cripto-1 in the placenta while as the analysis of placental Cripto-1 was performed by Western blotting RESULTS: The placenta increta group showed higher levels of Cripto-1 in the center of the increta as compared to the non-implantation area. The level of placental Cripto-1 in the placenta increta was higher than that of the placenta accrete. The expression of placental Cripto-1 in the placenta increta and placenta previa groups was higher than that of control.
Conclusions: Placental Cripto-1 is involved in the regulation of placental tissue invasion. Additionally, excessive placental growth or penetration into the myometrium are likely to be involved in the development of placenta increta.
Keywords: Cripto-1; pathogenesis; placenta increta; placenta previa; pregnancy.