Preeclampsia and related disorders. Clinical aspects and relevance of endothelin and nitric oxide

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder believed to result from widespread endothelial dysfunction. Endothelin and NO are two potent vasoactive agents of endothelial origin and, as such, are postulated to play an important role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. If these agents are found to be important in preeclampsia, they will most likely exert their effects locally, rather than systemically. Future research on the autocrine and paracrine effects of endothelin and NO may yield important insights into the cause and pathogenesis of this enigmatic disease.