Antenatal serum levels of relaxin in patients having preterm labour

Abstract

This study is the first report of antenatal levels of relaxin measured by homologous radioimmunoassay in peripheral serum from patients who subsequently had a preterm delivery. Serial blood samples were collected antenatally from a group of subjects known to be at increased risk of preterm labour because of a past history of shortened pregnancy. Serum relaxin was measured using a n homologous radioimmunoassay based o n a synthetic bioactive analogoue of the native hormone. In women whose pregnancies ended preterm most measurements were within the range of values previously established in normal antenatal patients although some measurements early in pregnancy were above t h e normal range. These findings suggest that low serum levels of relaxin are not causatively related to the onset of labour before term.It has bcen reported that the application of an extract of the human corpus luteum of pregnancy to human myometrium caused a decrease in the amplitude of spontaneous contractions in vitro. The extract was shown to contain immunoreactive and bioaetive relaxin (Szlachter et a/.edge the co-operation of the staff and patients of the Queen Victoria Medical Ccntrc.

Serum relaxin as a potential marker for preterm labour

“…Serial blood samples taken during the last weeks of pregnancy showed declining, very low relaxin concentrations in one woman who subsequently had a preterm labour and it was proposed that low relaxin levels caused a decreased suppression on the myomet‐rial activity (MacLennan et al 1986). Another study, however, showed increased values of immunoreactive human relaxin concentration in the 30th week of pregnancy in two of the three women delivered preterm when compared with corresponding values obtained in women delivered at term (Bell et al 1988). Furthermore, women who became pregnant after stimulation with clomiphene citrate, human menopausal gonadotrophin and human chorionic gonadotrophin and subsequent in vitro fertilization have both very high immunoreactive serum relaxin concentrations and a very high frequency of preterm labour (Bell et al 1989).…”

Challenges and prospects of preterm birth prediction in multiple pregnancies

“…Релаксин представляет собой плейотропный гормон, но основной его биологический эффект заключается в регуляции процессов созревания шейки матки, где он участвует в ремоделировании коллагена путем активации металлопротеиназ [49,50,53]. В ходе многочисленных исследований была показана отрицательная роль повышенного уровня релаксина в отношении развития преждевременных родов [49][50][51][52].…”

“…Eddie, A.R. Lester et al одними из первых показали, что беременные, у которых в дальнейшем происходили преждевременные роды, в течение беременности имели более высокие уровни релаксина в сравнении с теми, которые родили своевременно [49].…”

Prognostic possibilities of relaxin as a marker of preterm birth

“…Eddie, A.R. Lester et al совместно с амери-канскими коллегами одними из первых пока-зали, что беременные, у которых в дальнейшем происходили преждевременные роды, в тече-ние беременности имели более высокие уровни релаксина с сравнении с теми, которые родили своевременно [27].…”