ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of hemin, an inducer of heme oxygenase, in a rat model of gestational hypertension and explore the possible mechanism. METHODS: Eighteen pregnant SD rats at day 12 of gestation were randomized equally into gestational hypertension model group, hemin treatment group, and normal pregnancy (control) group. In the former two groups, the rats were subjected to daily nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 80 mg/kg) gavage since gestational day 14 for 7 consecutive days to induce gestational hypertension; saline was administered in the same manner in the control rats. The rats in hemin group received daily intraperitoneal injection of hemin (30 mg/kg) starting from gestational day 16. HO activity and carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) level in rat placental tissue were detected with spectrophotometric method, and soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (sFlt-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level in the placental tissue homogenate supernatant were detected using ELSIA. RESULTS: At gestational day 20, the blood pressure and 24-h urinary protein were significantly higher in the model group than in the other two groups (P<0.05), and were higher in hemin group than in the control group (P<0.05); HO activity and COHb content in the placenta tissue were the lowest in the model group (P<0.05), and was lower in hemin group than in the control group (P<0.05). The level of sFlt-1 was significantly higher and VEGF level significantly lower in the model group than in the other two groups (P<0.05); sFlt-1 level remained higher and VEGF lower in hemin group than in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Hemin can reduce blood pressure and urinary protein in rats with gestational hypertension possibly by up-regulating HO activity, enhancing carbon monoxide production, reducing sFlt-1 and increasing VEGF in the placental tissue.
Subject(s)
Hemin/pharmacology , Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced/drug therapy , Placenta/drug effects , Animals , Blood Pressure , Carbon Monoxide/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing) , Placenta/metabolism , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism , Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1/metabolismABSTRACT
AIM: To explore the changes of IGF-I and leptin levels in serum and placental tissue of prceclampsia patients, and to study the associativity of IGF-I and leptin at the onset and in the development of prceclampsia further. METHODS: The levels of IGF-I and leptin in serum and placental tissue of 80 patients with prceclampsia and 50 normal pregnancy were detected with ELISA and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The serum IGF-I level of mild and severe prceclampsia was significantly lower than that of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05), and the serum leptin level of mild and severe prceclampsia was significantly lower than that of normal pregnancy group (P<0.05). The serum IGF-I level in severe prceclampsia group was lower than that in mild prceclampasia and the serum leptin level in severe prceclampsia was higher than that in mild prceclampsia ( P<0.05). There were significantly difference in the expression of IGF-I and leptin among normal pregnancy group, mild and severe prceclampsia group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The level of IGF-I and leptin may be involved in the pathogenesis and development of prceclampsia and can be a index to test the prognosis of prceclampsia patient.
Subject(s)
Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/metabolism , Leptin/blood , Placenta/metabolism , Pre-Eclampsia/parasitology , Adult , Female , Humans , Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/analysis , Leptin/analysis , Pre-Eclampsia/diagnosis , Pregnancy , Prognosis , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether there is an association between DRD2/ANKK1 Taq IA polymorphism and early infant temperament. METHODS: DRD2/ANKK1 Taq IA polymorphism (rs1800497) was determined using polymerase chain reaction-ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) techniques in 149 Chinese Han infants from Changsha City. Their mothers were asked to complete the Early Infant Temperament Questionnaires (EITQ) when the infants were 1 to 4 months old (mean: 2.75 months). There were three genotypes found in these infants: C/C, T/T and C/T. The subjects were subdivided into T-carrier (CT, TT) and non-T-carrier (CC) groups for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were no differences in the temperament style distribution between the T-carrier and non-T carrier groups. There were also no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the score of the nine temperament dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: DRD2/ANKK1 Taq IA polymorphism is not associated with early infant temperament.
