Increased blood flow resistance in placental circulation and levels of plasminogen activator inhibitors types 1 and 2 in severe preeclampsia.
To study whether increased resistance in the placental circulation changes the plasma levels of plasminogen activators types 1 and 2 (PAI-1 and PAI-2) in severe preeclampsia, the levels of PAI-1 activity and PAI-2 antigen were determined in 33 severely preeclamptic and 22 normal pregnant women during gestational weeks 24-35. In the preeclampsia group, the Pulsatility Index (PI) of the umbilical artery was investigated with Doppler ultrasound. The levels of PAI-1 activity were higher (P < 0.01) whereas those of PAI-2 antigen were lower (P < 0.01) in the preeclampsia group than in the normal pregnancy group. The patients with abnormally high PI (high PI group) had increased PAI-1 levels (P < 0.05) and unchanged PAI-2 levels (P > 0.05), compared with those with normal PI (normal PI group). The levels of PAI-1 were positively correlated to the PI values during pregnancy weeks 34-35 only in the high PI group (r = 0.88, P < 0.05). In conclusion, high resistance in the placental circulation elevates plasma PAI-1 activity levels but does not influence PAI-2 antigen levels.
He
S
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Department of Laboratory Medicine/Blood Coagulation Research, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bremme
K
K
Blombäck
M
M
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010920:Placenta; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood*; D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2 / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011673:Pulsatile Flow; D014469:Umbilical Arteries / Q000502:physiology*
D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D017396:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 2