Human urinary epidermal growth factor: effects of age, sex and pregnancy.
Urinary concentrations of immunoreactive human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) were determined by specific homologous radioimmunoassay in 169 healthy men (aged 20-69 years), 275 healthy women (20-8 years). healthy women (20-68 years) and 413 pregnant women (20-39 years). Relative hEGF concentrations in urine (micrograms/g creatinine) decreased significantly in both sexes between 24 and 64 years of age. The relative concentrations of hEGF in urine were significantly higher in women than in men at ages 20-69 years. The mean values of relative urinary hEGF concentrations in pregnant women in their twenties and thirties (30.0 +/- 0.7 micrograms/g creatinine and 29.6 +/- 1.2 micrograms/g creatinine) were significantly higher than those in age-matched nonpregnant women (27.3 +/- 1.8 micrograms/g creatinine and 22.8 +/- 0.7 micrograms/g creatinine). Among the trimesters, it was highest in the 2nd trimester of women in the twenties and thirties (33.4 +/- 1.3 micrograms/g creatinine and 31.7 +/- 1.9 micrograms/g creatinine). The significance of the increased urinary excretion of hEGF (micrograms/g creatinine) in pregnancy is not known. Further studies are required to find a source of hEGF in urine and a possible relation between increased hEGF excretion and fetoplacental growth and development.
Kasai
K
K
Department of Endocrinology, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan.
Nakamura
T
T
Banba
N
N
Ishikawa
M
M
Konuma
S
S
Shimoda
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011262:Pregnancy Trimester, Second; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012737:Sex Factors
D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor