Abstract
Spontaneous abortion is considered a public health problem having several causes, including infections. Among the infectious agents, bacteria of the vaginal microbiota and Ureaplasma parvum have been associated with abortion, but their participation needs to be further elucidated. This study aims to evaluate the influence of Mollicutes on the development of spontaneous abortion. Women who underwent spontaneous abortion and those with normal birth (control) were studied. Samples of cervical mucus (CM) and placental tissue were collected to identify Mollicutes using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction methodology. Eighty-nine women who had a miscarriage and 20 women with normal pregnancies were studied. The presence of Mollicutes in placental tissue increased the chance of developing miscarriage sevenfold. The prevalence of U. parvum in women who experienced spontaneous abortion was 66.3% in placental tissue. A positive association was observed between the detection of U. parvum in samples of placental tissue and abortion. There was a significant increase in microbial load in placental tissue for M. hominis, U. urealyticum and U. parvum compared to the control group. Detection of U. parvum in CM in pregnant women can ascend to the region of the placental tissue and trigger a spontaneous abortion.
ABSTRACT
17α-hydroxyprogesterone-4-14C-17α-caproate (HPC), a long-acting progestational agent, was incubated with homogenates of rat liver and human placenta. The rat liver was found to reduce Ring A of HPC under anaerobic conditions to form allopregnane-3β,17α-diol-20-one-17α-caproate and pregnane-3β,17α-diol-20-one-17α-caproate, the allopregnane isomer being the major product. The caproic acid ester was neither removed nor altered during the incubation.
Placental tissue did not attack HPC under conditions where the 20-ketone of progesterone was reduced. It is postulated that this absence of attack on the side chain is due to steric hindrance from the caproate ester, and that this may account for the prolonged action of HPC.
Association of spontaneous abortion and Ureaplasma parvum detected in placental tissue
