title: Immunoreactive corticotropin-releasing hormone, adrenocorticotropin and cortisol in human plasma during pregnancy and delivery and postpartum.
abstract: The activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis was examined, by measuring the levels of immunoreactive (IR) corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol (F) in human plasma during normal pregnancy and after delivery with or without complications and during normal postpartum using a specific RIA. The level of IR-CRH in maternal plasma increased progressively during pregnancy, increased further at delivery and declined rapidly to the non-pregnant level on the 1st day postpartum. The level of IR-F in maternal plasma also increased progressively during pregnancy, increased further at delivery, but decreased slowly postpartum, not returning to the non-pregnant level within 5 days. Significant correlations were found between the level of IR-CRH and IR-ACTH, IR-CRH and IR-F, and IR-ACTH and IRF in maternal plasma both during pregnancy and after delivery. It is noteworthy that the concentration of IR-CRH in the maternal plasma at delivery was higher in multiple pregnancy than in normal pregnancy, and that the level of IR-CRH in the umbilical cord in uncomplicated cases was much lower than that in the maternal plasma, and was significantly lower than those in the umbilical cord plasma in cases of asphyxia, IUGR or premature delivery. The level of IR-F, not IR-CRH and IR-ACTH, at normal vaginal delivery was significantly higher than that at elective cesarean section. On these results, we investigated the feto-maternal-hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal axis during pregnancy and delivery, in which CRH plays an important role.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sata
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mitsuda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Otsuki
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tanizawa
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D007743:Labor, Obstetric / Q000097:blood*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood; D011863:Radioimmunoassay
chemical_list: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D006854:Hydrocortisone