Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death, is regulated by both pro-apoptotic factors (such as p53) and anti-apoptotic factors (such as Bcl-2). During pregnancy, apoptosis plays an important role in maintaining the balance for the proper development of the placenta. However, spontaneous abortions are often associated with cellular dysfunction, which may result from excessive apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate how pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic factors interact and influence the occurrence of spontaneous abortion. This study involved the collection of 30 placentas from women aged 35 to 40 years who had experienced spontaneous miscarriages, which were compared to 20 placentas from women who underwent on-demand abortions, serving as a control group. Tissue sections were treated with monoclonal antibodies targeting BCL-2 and p53, and analyzed using the H score. Results are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). Independent and paired Student’s t-tests were used to compare continuous variables. The analysis of pro-apoptotic factors showed a higher expression of p53 in the miscarriage group (230.33 ± 63.80) compared to the control group (131.22 ± 36.04). In contrast, the H score for the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 was significantly higher in the control group (167 ± 92.73) compared to the miscarriage group (120.20 ± 100). The increased expression of pro-apoptotic factors, along with the reduced levels of anti-apoptotic factors, appears to contribute to pregnancy loss and spontaneous abortion.
