Peripartum changes in free and protein-bound digoxinlike immunoreactive factor.
The appearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor in pregnancy and its rapid disappearance after delivery is well documented. The protein-bound fraction, a common component of plasma, does not change during pregnancy. We investigated the peripartum changes in both free and protein-bound fractions of digoxinlike immunoreactive factor and observed different peripartum patterns of those fractions. While the disappearance of the free fraction after delivery was reconfirmed, the protein-bound fraction exhibited a biphasic pattern: a rapid decrease after delivery with a slow increase to predelivery levels seven weeks later. The disappearance of free digoxinlike immunoreactive factor after delivery may reflect the elimination of the fetal source. The changes in the protein-bound fraction imply that the fraction may also vary in certain clinical situations and may be produced in response to certain homeostatic changes and suggest a possible interaction between fetal and maternal systems that produce digoxinlike immunoreactive factor during pregnancy.
Jakobi
P
P
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
Kol
S
S
Weissman
A
A
Krivoy
N
N
D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002298:Cardenolides; D004077:Digoxin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011485:Protein Binding; D012503:Saponins
D001798:Blood Proteins; D002298:Cardenolides; D012503:Saponins; C034504:digoxin-like factors; D004077:Digoxin