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Amniotic fluid 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid in preterm labor
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510.
Prostaglandins
|August 1, 1988
Summary
Preterm labor is linked to higher amniotic fluid levels of 5-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE). Lower 5-HETE concentrations were observed in women whose preterm labor responded to treatment, indicating its potential role in labor progression.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Biochemistry
- Obstetrics
Background:
- 5-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) is a product of arachidonate lipoxygenase.
- In vitro studies show 5-HETE stimulates human uterine contractility dose-dependently.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between preterm labor and amniotic fluid 5-HETE concentrations.
- To determine if 5-HETE levels differ in women with preterm labor based on response to tocolysis and intra-amniotic infection.
Main Methods:
- Amniotic fluid was collected via transabdominal amniocentesis from three groups of women experiencing preterm labor.
- Radioimmunoassay was used to quantify 5-HETE levels in amniotic fluid.
- Groups included women who responded to tocolysis, those who failed to respond, and those with intra-amniotic infection.
Main Results:
- Significantly lower median amniotic fluid 5-HETE concentrations were found in women who responded to tocolysis compared to those who delivered despite tocolysis or had intra-amniotic infection.
- No significant difference in 5-HETE levels was observed between women who failed to respond to tocolysis and those with intra-amniotic infection.
Conclusions:
- Amniotic fluid 5-HETE concentrations may serve as a biomarker for preterm labor progression and response to tocolysis.
- Elevated 5-HETE levels are associated with preterm labor that is refractory to treatment or complicated by intra-amniotic infection.