Production of human mast cell chymase in human myometrium and placenta in cases of normal pregnancy and preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether the human mast cell chymase-endothelin-1(1-31) system was present in human myometrium, chorion and umbilical cord in normal pregnancy.


METHODS
Myometrium, placenta and umbilical cord were obtained from five normal pregnant women and 10 with preeclampsia. Each tissue was stained with antibodies against hMC and ET-1(1-31).


RESULTS
Routine cells were located mainly around vessels. The number of hMC-positive cells and production of ET-1(1-31) were significantly higher in myometrium from patients with severe preeclampsia compared to those from normal pregnant women. In contrast, their numbers were significantly lower in placenta and umbilical cord in patients with severe preeclampsia.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that the hMC-ET-1(1-31) system is active in normal pregnancy. Overproduction of hMC and ET-1(1-31) in the myometrium may be involved in the pathogenesis of severe preeclampsia, and in such cases some defense mechanism may operate in the fetus to cope with the pathological effect of the hMC-ET-1(1-31) system.
Mitani
Ryuji
R
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, The University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto-cho, 770-8503, Tokushima, Japan. mitani@clin.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp
Maeda
Kazuhisa
K
Fukui
Rijin
R
Endo
Satoko
S
Saijo
Yoshika
Y
Shinohara
Koji
K
Kamada
Masaharu
M
Irahara
Minoru
M
Yamano
Shuji
S
Nakaya
Yutaka
Y
Aono
Toshihiro
T
D053818:Chymases; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000201:enzymology; D009215:Myometrium / Q000201:enzymology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000378:metabolism
D019332:Endothelin-1; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases