Characterization of secretin-like immunoreactivity in pregnancy.
The plasma secretin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) in 23 healthy females was elevated in late pregnancy (34 +/- 3 pmol/l) as compared with 23 non-pregnant female controls (12 +/- 2 pmol/l; p less than 0.01). The plasma SLI in pregnancy eluted close to albumin on a Sephadex G-200 column, whereas 50-75% of the recovered SLI was displaced to the elution volume of free secretin when plasma was exposed to 6 mol/l urea. When 125I-labelled secretin was incubated with plasma in the absence of secretin antibodies, 40% of the intact label eluted in the void volume of a Sephadex G-50 Fine column in pregnancy, compared with only 18% in the nonpregnant state. The present study supports the notion that secretin circulates bound to plasma proteins and suggests that the protein binding of secretin is enhanced in late pregnancy, a feature common to several classical hormones.
Jenssen
T G
TG
Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Tromsø, Norway.
Holst
N
N
Burhol
P G
PG
Olsen
R L
RL
Haukland
H H
HH
Florholmen
J
J
Maltau
J M
JM
Hvidsten
D
D
D000328:Adult; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011263:Pregnancy Trimester, Third; D011485:Protein Binding; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012633:Secretin / Q000097:blood*
D001798:Blood Proteins; D012633:Secretin