PLAC1 mRNA levels in maternal blood at induction of labor correlate negatively with induction-delivery interval.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to determine whether, in low risk women having labor induced using prostaglandin gel (dinoprostone gel), there is a relationship between the concentration of mRNA for the PLAC1 gene (a trophoblast-specific gene) in maternal blood and the time elapsed between the first gel administration and spontaneous delivery.


METHODS
Blood was collected from 49 selected women at 40.2-41.4 weeks' gestation. Total RNA was extracted by means of an ABI Prism 6100 nucleic acid Prep Station and quantitative real-time PCR analysis was performed by use of a PE Applied Biosystems 5700 Sequence Detection System. Sequence data were obtained from the Genebank Sequence Database. To determine the amount of cDNA, the PLAC1 locus was used.


RESULTS
Thirty women (61.2%) had a spontaneous delivery. A caesarean section, either for fetal dystocia or fetal distress, was performed in 19 (38.8%). The crude delivery rates of the women who ended up with a spontaneous delivery were 30% at 24 h and 43% at 48 h. Women (n=19) with a blood concentration of logPLAC1 mRNA>or=2.00 displayed a median time to delivery of 23.50h, (95% CI: 13.13-33.87) while those with a logPLAC1 mRNA<2.00 (n=30) had a median time of 54 h. (95% CI: 37.86-70.14; p=0.0043, log-rank test). By means of multivariate analysis, quantitative Bishop score (from 2 to 7) at the time of the first gel administration and logPLAC1 mRNA>or=2.00 were associated with a higher rate of delivery per unit of time with an odds ratio of 1.35 (95% CI: 1.07-1.71) and 3.48 (95% CI: 1.55-7.80), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
In induced term pregnancies, PLAC1 mRNA in maternal blood at the beginning of the treatment correlates with the time elapsed before delivery. This evidence demonstrates that the fetomaternal trafficking of nucleic acids is more consistent when the labor is about to begin.
Rizzo
Nicola
N
Prenatal Medicine Unit, Embryology and Applied Biology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Banzola
Irina
I
Concu
Manuela
M
Morano
Danila
D
Sekizawa
Akihiko
A
Giommi
Federica
F
Vagnoni
Sonia
S
Gabrielli
Sandro
S
Tempesta
Annalisa
A
Carinci
Paolo
P
Farina
Antonio
A
D000328:Adult; D002585:Cesarean Section; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015232:Dinoprostone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007751:Labor, Induced; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D010120:Oxytocics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood*; D014327:Trophoblasts / Q000502:physiology*
D010120:Oxytocics; C415583:PLAC1 protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015232:Dinoprostone