title: Assessment of ADMA, estradiol, and progesterone in severe preeclampsia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Decreased nitrous oxide (NO) levels are crucial factors in severe preeclampsia (sPE), and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) is an endogenous inhibitor of NO synthetase. Steroid hormones are closely related to the vascular endothelium. This study determined the levels of and correlations between ADMA, estradiol (E2), and progesterone (Pg) in sPE to investigate the roles of these factors in this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two sPE patients (sPE group) were divided into the sPE1 subgroup (28(+1)-32(+0) weeks of pregnancy), the sPE2 subgroup (32(+1)-36(+0) weeks), and the sPE3 subgroup (36(+1)-40(+0) weeks) and 75 normal pregnant women (NC group) were divided into the NC1 subgroup (28(+1)-32(+0) weeks of gestation), the NC2 subgroup (32(+1)-36(+0) weeks), and the NC3 subgroup (36(+1)-40(+0) weeks). Serum and placental ADMA levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and serum E2 and Pg concentrations were determined by the chemilumineseent immunoassay (CLIA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  ADMA concentrations in both the placenta and the maternal serum were significantly higher in the sPE group (p < 0.05). Higher ADMA contents were observed in the placenta relative to the maternal serum (p < 0.05). Serum E2 levels were significantly lower in the sPE group (p < 0.05). For Pg, the only significant difference was observed between the sPE1 and NC1 subgroups (p < 0.05). The Pg/E2 ratios in the sPE groups were significantly higher, with a significant high positive correlation between Pg/E2 ratios and serum ADMA levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased serum levels of ADMA in sPE may result from increased secretion from the placenta, and the increased Pg/E2 ratio may play a role in the development of sPE by aggravating ADMA.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , China.
authors.forename: Jing-Jie
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , China.
authors.forename: Hai-Ou
authors.initials: HO
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University , Wenzhou , China.
authors.forename: Fei-Yun
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase
keywords: Asymmetric dimethylarginine; estradiol; pathophysiology; preeclampsia; progesterone