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[The activity of urinary cystine-aminopeptidase in normal pregnancy (author's transl)]
Knowing that examining the levels of aminopeptidases in the serum of pregnant women can give us information about normal feto-placental function, we have tried to see if testing for these enzymes in urine of women with normal pregnancies could lead us to a more adequate and easy screening for fetal distress. With this end in view we examined the activity of urinary cystine aminopeptidase (CAP) in a group of 60 pregnant women at different stages of normal pregnancies. This activity was determined on 24 hour specimens of urine collected at different times in pregnancy and the results showed that there were variations from one week to another. As compared with activity in serum in normal pregnancies, urinary activity of this enzyme is raised in the first trimester of the pregnancy and lowered in the last trimester. The explanation of other authors about the possibility of these enzymes with high molecular weights passing into the urine is discussed. Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common in pregnancy, and so it can explain how CAP is excreted in the urine. But this hypothesis has still to be studied and proven.
Knowing that examining the levels of aminopeptidases in the serum of pregnant women can give us information about normal feto-placental function, we have tried to see if testing for these enzymes in urine of women with normal pregnancies could lead us to a more adequate and easy screening for fetal distress. With this end in view we examined the activity of urinary cystine aminopeptidase (CAP) in a group of 60 pregnant women at different stages of normal pregnancies. This activity was determined on 24 hour specimens of urine collected at different times in pregnancy and the results showed that there were variations from one week to another. As compared with activity in serum in normal pregnancies, urinary activity of this enzyme is raised in the first trimester of the pregnancy and lowered in the last trimester. The explanation of other authors about the possibility of these enzymes with high molecular weights passing into the urine is discussed. Asymptomatic bacteriuria is common in pregnancy, and so it can explain how CAP is excreted in the urine. But this hypothesis has still to be studied and proven.