Effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on fetal and placental development in an experimental model of placental insufficiency

• Published in: The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 283 - 289
• Main Authors: Guimarães, Camila S. O., Gomes, Bruno B. F., Oliveira, Rafael A., Yamamoto, Leandro R., Rocha, Laura P., Glória, Maria A., Machado, Juliana R., Câmara, Niels O. S., Reis, Marlene A., Corrêa, Rosana R. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 17-01-2016
• Subjects: Animals; Biomarkers - metabolism; Female; Hypoxia; Hypoxia - metabolism; IUGR; perfusion; placenta; Placenta - metabolism; Placental Circulation; Placental Insufficiency - therapy; Placentation; Pregnancy; Rats, Wistar; TENS; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation - adverse effects; Uterus - blood supply; TENS; Hypoxia; placenta; perfusion; IUGR; pregnancy
• ISSN: 1476-7058; 1476-4954
• DOI: 10.3109/14767058.2014.999034

Objective: To elucidate the effects of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in pregnancies with placental insufficiency.
Methods: Pregnant rats were subjected to uterine artery ligation and to TENS according to the following groups: ligated stimulated (LS); ligated non-stimulated (LN), control stimulated (CS); and control non-stimulated (CN). Fetal external measurements, such as crown-rump length (CRL), fronto-occipital distance (FOD), thoracic ventral-dorsal (TVDD) and abdominal ventral-dorsal (AVDD) distances were analyzed together with the area occupied by fetal internal organs. Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT-1) expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in fetal organs. Thickness of junctional, labyrinth and intermediate placental zones was analyzed by morphometric evaluation in HE-stained slides, and placental hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alfa expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results: In LN and CS groups compared to the CN group, CRL was reduced (27.51/28.95 versus 30.16 mm), as well as FOD (6.63/6.63 versus 7.36 mm), AVDD (7.38/8.00 versus 8.61 mm) and TVDD (6.46/6.87 versus 7.23 mm). Brain GLUT-1 expression was higher in LS (1.3%) and CS (1.8%). The area occupied by placental vessels in the labyrinth zone (29.67 ± 3.51 versus 20.83 ± 7.63) and intermediate zone (26.46 ± 10.21 versus 10.86 ± 8.94) was larger in the LS group than in the LN group.
Conclusions: Our results suggest a negative effect of TENS on placental development, thus compromising the maintenance of adequate blood flow to the fetus.