Pattern of fibrin stabilizing factor (FXIII) expression in placentas of women suffering with gestational diabetes mellitus in Saint John, New Brunswick

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects 2-5% of all pregnancies and is known to place the fetus at risk for adverse fetal outcomes. Previous studies have reported the increased presence of villous immaturity in the placentas of women with gestational diabetes. Villous immaturity poses a great risk of restricted diffusion capacity across the placenta and may be a marker for some of the placental insufficiency associated with diabetes mellitus. The present study looks at the possibility of using fibrin stabilizing factor, or Factor XIII (FXIII), as a biomarker of villous immaturity. The aim of the present study is to establish a baseline pattern of FXIII expression in placentas of women in Saint John, NB with GDM, without villous immaturity using a scoring formula adapted from surgical pathology. While the small sample size precludes definitive conclusions regarding the expression of FXIII in normal placentas in women with GDM, there appears to a baseline of strong FXIII expression in normal placental tissues from the second and third trimester of pregnancy. Further study using a larger sample size is required to determine if a correlation exists between level of FXIII expression and degree of villous maturity in patients with GDM, which could improve the histologic assessment of placental development.