Relative amount of telomeric sequences in terminal villi does not differ between normal term placentas and placentas from patients with well-controlled type 1 diabetes mellitus.

We applied qPCR to compare relative telomere length in terminal villi microdissected from term control placentas and placentas of patients suffering from type 1 diabetes. Significant differences were not found in the relative T/S ratios between placental groups or between the diabetic placentas affected and those not affected with chorangiosis. We hypothesize that there is no relationship between decreased placental proliferative ability in maternal diabetes type 1 and telomere shortening.