title: Urinary orotic acid levels in normal pregnancy and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
abstract: Our objective was to study the urinary levels of orotic acid in normal pregnancy and in pregnancy-induced hypertension. Such levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with column-switching. The levels of urinary orotic acid (micromol/g creatinine) in normal pregnancy (n = 14) were 6.9 +/- 2.3 (first trimester), 10.1 +/- 2.4 (20 weeks) and 12.0 +/- 3.7 (30 weeks). In pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 14), the corresponding levels were 6.5 +/- 1.7, 7.8 +/- 2.7 and 7.6 +/- 2.3, respectively. Normal pregnant subjects individually showed a significant elevation at 20 and 30 weeks of gestation as compared with those in the first trimester (p < 0.01). A high consumption of arginine in nitric oxide production during normal pregnancy may cause a physiological elevation of urinary orotic acid. The absence of an elevation in pregnancy-induced hypertension may be associated with a decrease in nitric oxide production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ehime University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furutani
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ochi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsubara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Togari
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000652:urine*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D009963:Orotic Acid / Q000652:urine*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000652:urine*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D009963:Orotic Acid; D001120:Arginine