title: Circulating endothelin-3 and prolactin concentrations in healthy lactating women during the early puerperium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the association between the circulating concentrations of endothelin-3 and prolactin in the early puerperium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective clinical study, including twenty-five healthy puerperal women breast-feeding their healthy full-term infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Venous blood was drawn on day 1 and 4 post partum, and plasma endothelin-3 and serum prolactin were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Circulating endothelin-3 and prolactin levels on day 4 did not differ significantly from the corresponding levels on day 1. However, a significant negative correlation was found on day 4 between endothelin-3 and prolactin values (r = -0.688, P < 0.001) and an even stronger negative association existed between the net change in endothelin-3 from days 1 to 4 and the corresponding change in prolactin values (r = -0.732, P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  On the fourth day post partum, lactating healthy women show negative correlation between circulating endothelin-3 and prolactin levels. Whether this indicates a role for endothelin-3 in the control of prolactin secretion in the post partum period remains to be clarified.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malamitsi-Puchner
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Messinis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sakellariou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Economou
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michalas
mesh_terms: D019334:Endothelin-3 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D019334:Endothelin-3; D011388:Prolactin