Neurokinin B and urotensin II levels in pre-eclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
To verify neurokinin B (NKB) and urotensin II (UII) plasma levels in pre-eclampsia (PE) and to determine the relationship between plasma NKB and UII levels.


METHODS
A total of 60 women in the third trimester of pregnancy were recruited, 40 women with PE (study patients) and 20 age- and BMI-matched normotensive women (healthy controls). They were divided into three groups: the 20 normotensive pregnant women (Group 1); 20 women with mild PE (Group 2); 20 women with severe PE (Group 3). The plasma levels of NKB and UII were measured simultaneously by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.


RESULTS
Compared with controls, levels of NKB were significantly higher in women with mild or severe PE (p < 0.01 for both groups), levels of UII were significantly higher in women with mild or severe PE (p < 0.01 for both groups). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between plasma levels of NKB and UII in pre-eclamptic women (r = 0.783, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that there was an elevation of NKB and UII in the plasma of pre-eclamptic women. NKB and UII may be involved in the pathophysiology of PE and associated with the development of severe disease.
Liu
Yanyan
Y
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Li
Yufeng
Y
Xu
Xiaoyan
X
Chen
Xi
X
Chen
Hanping
H
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015287:Neurokinin B / Q000097:blood*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D014579:Urotensins / Q000097:blood*; D055815:Young Adult
D014579:Urotensins; D015287:Neurokinin B; C029677:urotensin II