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Vasospastic action of serotonin on the umbilical artery in normal and preeclamptic patients
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kochi Medical School, Japan.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether elevated plasma-free-serotonin (5-HT) levels in preeclampsia could evoke abnormal vasoconstriction in the umbilical artery (UmA). Threshold concentrations of 5-HT in the UmA from 12 normal pregnant (NP) women were 5 ng/ml. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in the UmA (14.38 +/- 5.68 ng/ml) in severe preeclampsia (SP) were higher than the threshold value. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in UmA blood (1.6 +/- 1.2 ng/ml) in NP women were lower than the threshold value. There were significant increases in sensitivity to 5-HT in the UmA from SP; the threshold value of 5-HT was low (1.0 ng/ml), and the EC50 value (5.2 +/- 2.4 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that of NP women (13.9 +/- 3.0 ng/ml, p < 0.001). These results strongly suggest that increased plasma-free 5-HT and vascular hypersensitivity to 5-HT in preeclampsia can cause vasospasms and a disturbance of the feto-placental circulation.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether elevated plasma-free-serotonin (5-HT) levels in preeclampsia could evoke abnormal vasoconstriction in the umbilical artery (UmA). Threshold concentrations of 5-HT in the UmA from 12 normal pregnant (NP) women were 5 ng/ml. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in the UmA (14.38 +/- 5.68 ng/ml) in severe preeclampsia (SP) were higher than the threshold value. Plasma-free 5-HT levels in UmA blood (1.6 +/- 1.2 ng/ml) in NP women were lower than the threshold value. There were significant increases in sensitivity to 5-HT in the UmA from SP; the threshold value of 5-HT was low (1.0 ng/ml), and the EC50 value (5.2 +/- 2.4 ng/ml) was significantly lower than that of NP women (13.9 +/- 3.0 ng/ml, p < 0.001). These results strongly suggest that increased plasma-free 5-HT and vascular hypersensitivity to 5-HT in preeclampsia can cause vasospasms and a disturbance of the feto-placental circulation.