IGF-I reduced in placenta from intrauterine growth retardation.

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is reduced in placental tissue from pregnancies with intrauterine growth retardation. To investigate the possibility of altered gene expression of growth factors in prenatal growth retardation, the assessed expression of the genes for insulin-like growth factor-I and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) by RTPCR from human placentas at term delivery in two groups: appropriate for gestational age (AGA) and pregnancies complicated with IUGR. The placentas from IUGR gestations showed reduced IGF-I expression with a significance of p=0.008, whereas we did not find any significant differences in EGFR gene expression.