title: Plasma nitric oxide levels in pregnant patients with preeclampsia and essential hypertension.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) production may be an important causal factor in hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. The plasma concentrations of NO2-(+) NO3-, stable metabolites of NO, were measured in 70 nonpregnant women, 323 normotensive pregnant women, 23 pregnant patients with preeclampsia, and 7 pregnant patients with essential hypertension. The normotensive women had higher plasma concentrations (30.0 +/- 0.6 mumol/l) than nonpregnant women (18.3 +/- 1.0 mumol/l; p < 0.0001). The plasma concentrations in the patients with preeclampsia (45.6 +/- 2.3 mumol/l) were higher than in the normotensive women (30.3 +/- 1.0 mumol/l; p < 0.0001) and were correlated with the systolic blood pressure (r = 0.442; p < 0.05). However, pregnant patients with underlying essential hypertension had significantly lower plasma concentrations (19.1 +/- 3.0 mumol/l; p < 0.005). These findings suggest that NO contributes to maternal vasodilation, the maintenance of uterine quiescence, and the pathogenesis and clinical features of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nobunaga
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokugawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nitta
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: K I
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Kidoguchi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Saji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000097:blood; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000097:blood*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide