Increased expression of VEGF and the endothelial cell marker CD34 indicates alterations, disarrangements, or remodeling of normal vasculature, associated with vascular endothelial injury and endothelitis.
Topic
SARS-CoV-2 & Feto-Placental Pathology
Neurodevelopmental disorders and microcephaly after in utero SARS-CoV-2 exposure (case reports)
Clinical findings, placental pathology, and immunohistochemical analysis strongly suggest that second-trimester maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection and placentitis triggered an inflammatory response in the fetoplacental unit that affected the fetal brain.
Maternal-fetal transmission of SARS-CoV-2, viral tropism for various fetal brain cells, and a concerning degree of brain gliosis were observed in the brains of in utero-infected mouse fetuses
The results showed significant level of maternal-fetal transmission of delta variant SARS-CoV-2 in later stages of mice pregnancy, and viral tropism for various fetal brain cells, like endothelial cells of blood vessels, barrier cells of the choroid plexus, neurons, and glial cells.
The SARS-CoV-2 proteins were found in the fetal brain cortical hemorrhages during early gestation
This study reported the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in fetal brain tissue, associated with cortical hemorrhages, and linked to reduced blood vessel integrity and monocyte infiltration of the hemorrhagic cortex. SARS-COV-2 antigens were also detected in the placenta, amnion, and umbilical cord during early gestation (the first and second trimesters of pregnancy).
Severe vascular remodeling (including severe thickening and fibrosis of the vessel walls, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and vessel lumen occlusion) was found in the placental arteries of women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy
The results show severe vascular remodeling of placental arteries, including severe thickening of the vessel walls and the occlusion of the vessel lumen, in women with COVID-19 during pregnancy.
Stool samples from newborns, born to mothers infected with SARS-CoV-2 during pregnancy, contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA and S protein at delivery, indicating in utero viral transmission to the fetal intestine
The mechanism of in utero transmission to the fetal intestine remains unclear. Since viral RNA was detected in the placenta and amniotic fluid, this might be the pathway of viral transmission.
