Brain natriuretic peptide levels in the umbilical venous plasma are elevated in fetal distress.
We measured, by a specific radioimmunoassay, brain-natriuretic-peptide-like immunoreactive (BNP-LI) levels in the umbilical venous and arterial plasma of normal and distressed newborns. The indicated BNP-LI level in umbilical arterial plasma of normal newborns (3.5 +/- 0.9 fmol/ml, mean +/- SEM, n = 10) was significantly higher than that in umbilical venous plasma of the same newborns (2.2 +/- 0.5 fmol/ml). In the distressed newborns at term, the indicated BNP-LI level in umbilical venous plasma was 62.2 +/- 25.7 fmol/ml (n = 4), which was 19-fold higher than that of elective cesarean section cases (3.2 +/- 0.3 fmol/ml, n = 6; p < 0.05). The findings demonstrated that BNP was present in the human fetal circulation and that the plasma BNP level was elevated under fetal distress conditions.
Itoh
H
H
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Japan.
Sagawa
N
N
Hasegawa
M
M
Okagaki
A
A
Inamori
K
K
Ihara
Y
Y
Mori
T
T
Suga
S
S
Mukoyama
M
M
Shirakami
G
G
D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000097:blood*; D002585:Cesarean Section; D002850:Chromatography, Gel; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005316:Fetal Distress / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods; D012016:Reference Values; D014469:Umbilical Arteries; D014471:Umbilical Veins
D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor