title: Peripartum changes in free and protein-bound digoxinlike immunoreactive factor.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Rambam Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jakobi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kol
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krivoy
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D001798:Blood Proteins; D002298:Cardenolides; D012503:Saponins; C034504:digoxin-like factors; D004077:Digoxin