title: Binding of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in maternal and fetal plasma and in amniotic fluid.
abstract: Placenta secretes corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) into the maternal and fetal circulation, but a CRH binding protein in plasma may decrease its biological activity. Using a charcoal adsorption method we found that 92% of added 125I-Tyr-CRH was bound to a binding protein in the nonpregnant plasma, 72% in the plasma at term pregnancy, 90% in umbilical cord plasma, 82% in the amniotic fluid in the second and 25% in the third trimester. CRH added to plasma inhibited the binding of 125I-Tyr-CRH over the concentration range of 0.1-8.8 nmol/l in plasma and of 0.1-2.2 nmol/l in amniotic fluid. There was a significant negative correlation (R = -0.80) between the binding capacity of the CRH-binding protein and CRH concentration in maternal plasma. Plasma or amniotic fluid was incubated with 125I-Tyr-CRH and subjected to gel filtration on Sephadex G-50. The bound radioactivity was eluted at the region of Mr 25-40 kDa and the unbound radioactivity at the location of synthetic CRH. Bound and unbound CRH concentrations were determined using charcoal adsorption method and gel filtration on Sephadex G-50 in ten maternal plasma samples at the third trimester of pregnancy. Following mean percentages were found to be bound: charcoal method 61.9 +/- 6.80% (SE) and gel filtration 62.8 +/- 6.33%. We conclude that the bulk of CRH is bound to a binding protein in maternal and fetoplacental circulation, whereas at term pregnancy the role of the binding is small in amniotic fluid.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Salminen-Lappalainen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Laatikainen
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D002606:Charcoal; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third
chemical_list: D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes; D002606:Charcoal; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone