title: Vaginal nitric oxide in pregnant women with bacterial vaginosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate vaginal nitric oxide (NO) production in response to alterations in the vaginal microbial flora.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervicovaginal lavage samples from 206 women at 18-22 weeks of gestation were tested for NO, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra), tumor necrosis factor-alpha and the inducible 70 kDa heat shock protein (hsp70). Bacterial vaginosis (BV) was diagnosed based on gram staining of vaginal smears.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated NO (>2.14 mmol/L) was associated with a diagnosis of BV (38% versus 11%, P < 0.008) as well as an increased median vaginal IL-1ra concentration (72.5 ng/ml versus 36.6 ng/ml, P = 0.041). Elevated vaginal NO was also associated with vaginal hsp70 and this relationship was independent of BV status or IL-1ra concentrations (P < 0.026). We conclude that vaginal hsp70 release in response to abnormal vaginal microflora may trigger NO production in an attempt to minimize the pathological consequences of this altered milieu.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Mehmet R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Genç
authors.forename: Mary L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Delaney
authors.forename: Andrew B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Onderdonk
authors.forename: Steven S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Witkin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000032:analysis; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000032:analysis; D014621:Vagina / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014626:Vaginal Smears; D016585:Vaginosis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; C507763:IL1RN protein, human; D053590:Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein; D007375:Interleukin-1; D012795:Sialoglycoproteins; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D009569:Nitric Oxide