Control of prostacyclin synthesis in pregnancy-induced hypertension

Uterine prostacyclin synthase (PGI synthase) and prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGH synthase) concentrations, measured by specific immunoradiometric assays, did not differ between patients with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension (syn. pre-eclampsia; n = 5) and normotensive gravidae (n = 6) with comparable gestational ages (34 - 38 weeks). Myometrial microsomes from pre-eclamptic women contained ten times more PGI synthase than PGH synthase and the ratio of PGI synthase to PGH synthase (mean +/- SD; 10.1 +/- 3.9) was not different from that in normotensive pregnancies. None of the pre-eclamptic patients had myometrial enzyme levels that were more than one standard deviation below the mean established previously for pregnancies ranging from 32 to 42 weeks of gestation. These findings indicate that the commonly observed association between deficient PGI2 production and pregnancy-induced hypertension cannot be explained in terms of a generalized lack of immunoassayable prostacyclin or prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases.