title: Increase in urinary desmosine and pyridinoline during postpartum involution of the uterus in humans.
abstract: One of the most rapid changes in collagen and elastin content of a tissue occurs in the uterus following postpartum involution. We measured the urinary excretion of specific amino acid markers for mature elastin (desmosine [DES] and isodesmosine [IDES]) and fibrillar collagen (hydroxylysyl pyridinoline [HP] and lysyl pyridinoline [LP]) before and after parturition in three gravid subjects. For that purpose, we used an isotope dilution method coupled with gel filtration and HPLC. The highest DES values were found 2-5 weeks postpartum and were 18-45 micrograms/g creatinine or two to six times those found for healthy neversmoking nongravid females (7.7 +/- 0.3 micrograms/g creatinine, mean +/- SE). The highest levels of urinary HP for each subject were found 2-3 weeks after parturition and were 115-607 nmol/mmol creatinine or 4-21 times those found for healthy neversmoking nongravid females (28.1 +/- 1.3 nmol/mmol creatinine). For the gravid subjects as a group and also for each subject, the mean values for urinary DES, IDES, HP, and HP/LP during the first 6 weeks postpartum were significantly greater than the mean baseline values beginning 27 weeks postpartum. For the gravid subjects as a group, the mean value for urinary HP/LP during the first 6 weeks postpartum was significantly greater than the value during the 20 weeks preceding parturition. This suggested that the tissue(s) of origin of the excess HP, during the 6 weeks following parturition, was not bony and was consistent with a uterine origin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts 02118, USA.
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franzblau
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000652:urine*; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D003404:Creatinine / Q000652:urine; D003895:Desmosine / Q000652:urine*; D004549:Elastin / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012907:Smoking / Q000652:urine; D014599:Uterus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D003895:Desmosine; C015484:pyridinoline; C036020:deoxypyridinoline; D003094:Collagen; D004549:Elastin; D003404:Creatinine