PURPOSE: to verify the amount of CD68+ cells in chorionic villosities in placentae from gestations submitted or not to labor. METHODS: transversal study with healthy near-term pregnant women, among whose placentae, 31 have been examined by immunohistochemical technique. Twenty placentae were obtained after vaginal delivery (VAGG) and eleven after elective cesarean sections (CESG). Slides were prepared with chorionic villosities samples and labeled with anti-CD68 antibody, specific for macrophages. Labeled and nonlabeled cells were counted inside the villosities. Non-parametric statistical tests were used for the analysis. RESULTS: among the 6,424 cells counted in the villosities' stroma from the 31 placentae, 1,135 cells (17.6%) were stained by the CD68+. The mean of cells labeled by the anti-CD68 was 22±18 for the VAGG group and 20±16 for the CESG, in each placentary sample. CONCLUSIONS: there were no significant differences in the percentage of macrophages (CD68+) in association with labor.
Antigens, CD; Chorionic villi sampling; Prenatal diagnosis; Macrophages; Placenta; Immunohistochemistry; Labor, obstetric
