Endothelium, blood vessels and angiogenesis - a workshop report

The aim of this workshop was to discuss in the broadest terms the role of blood vessels in establishing and maintaining a healthy pregnancy. It focused on the vessels at the feto/maternal interface namely the vessels of chorionic villi and the maternal spiral arteries. Cells of these vessels interact closely with trophoblast cells but with very different outcomes. In the chorionic villi this interaction must work to promote and maintain vessel integrity whilst the interactions between the extravillous trophoblasts and the cells of the maternal spiral artery lead in early pregnancy to vessel instability and remodelling and later vessel stabilisation. Knowledge of the mechanisms behind these paradoxical events may allow new therapeutic approaches to pregnancy complications such as placental insufficiency. The specific questions addressed by organisers and participants included the nature of the interaction between the developing chorionic vascular tree and the chorionic villous trophoblast stem cells, the nature of the interaction between extravillous trophoblasts and the cells of the maternal spiral artery specifically whether apoptosis plays a role in the remodelling of maternal spiral arteries. The role of traditional growth factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in regulation of maternal and fetal vascular growth and vascular tone was also addressed.