Increase of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and endothelin-1 mRNA expression in human placenta during gestation.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the maturation of the paracrine system's endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), endothelin-1 (ET-1) and adrenomedullin (AM) in human placenta during the 2nd and 3rd trimester of pregnancy.


METHODS
Placental tissue from 14 healthy women with normal pregnancy and from 13 patients giving birth to premature infants following premature labor was obtained. Messenger RNA expression was determined using quantitative TaqMan real-time PCR.


RESULTS
Placental eNOS/GAPDH and ET-1/GAPDH mRNA expression significantly increased as a function of gestational age (r=0.63, P<0.001 and r=0.53, P=0.007, respectively). There was no change in gene expression of neither iNOS nor AM mRNA/GAPDH during gestation (r=0.02, P=0.75 and r=0.001, P=0.99, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
There is a maturation of eNOS and ET-1 in human placenta with gestation reflecting developmental changes of important paracrine endothelial and trophoblastic regulators. AM and iNOS show no maturation during pregnancy.
Dötsch
J
J
Department of Pediatrics, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Loschgestrasse 15, 91054, Erlangen, Germany. joergwdoetsch@yahoo.com
Hogen
N
N
Nyúl
Z
Z
Hänze
J
J
Knerr
I
I
Kirschbaum
M
M
Rascher
W
W
D053607:Adrenomedullin; D000328:Adult; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005865:Gestational Age; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000235:genetics*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics; D010920:Placenta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D019332:Endothelin-1; D010455:Peptides; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053607:Adrenomedullin; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; C496314:NOS3 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases