The study measured kisspeptin (KISS1) levels in pregnant women with placenta previa and found that these women had much lower KISS1 protein and gene expression in their blood and placenta, while the receptor for KISS1 was dramatically higher. The researchers suggest this drop in KISS1 might be linked to why placenta previa occurs, but they did not test any interventions.

This study aimed to explore the potential influence of kisspeptin (KISS1) levels on the etiology of placenta previa for early pregnancy diagnosis. The study included 20 pregnant women diagnosed with placenta previa and 20 pregnant woman with normal pregnancies between 2021 and 2022. Plasma KISS1 levels were determined through biochemical analysis, while genetic analysis assessed KISS1 and KISS1 receptor gene expression levels. Immunohistochemical methods were employed to determine placenta KISS1 levels. The evaluation of KISS1 concentration in serum revealed a significant decrease in the placenta previa group compared to the control group (P < .001). KISS1 gene expression level 0.043-fold decreased in the placenta previa group (P < .001). Furthermore, the KISS1 receptor gene expression level increased 170-fold in the placenta previa group. Results from biochemical, immunohistochemical, and genetic analyses consistently indicated significantly reduced KISS1 expression in patients with placenta previa. These findings suggest a potential link between diminished KISS1 levels and the occurrence of placenta previa. KISS1 may play a critical role in the etiology of placenta previa. Detailed studies on angiogenesis, cell migration and tissue modeling should be conducted to understand possible mechanisms.