Marinobufagenin Levels in Preeclamptic Patients: A Preliminary Report

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a disorder resulting in significant fetomaternal complications with no definitive pharmacological intervention. A bufadienolide, marinobufagenin, has been implicated in the etiology of preeclampsia. We investigated both the blood and urine levels of marinobufagenin in preeclamptic and control subjects. Preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant women were recruited at various gestational age periods. Blood and urine specimens were obtained and analyzed for marinobufagenin levels and creatinine. The former determination was performed utilizing a new, novel chemifluorescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The marinobufagenin levels were higher in preeclamptics than in the controls in both serum and urine at various gestational age periods. Additionally, the mean level of marinobufagenin in the preeclamptic group was significantly greater than in controls in both blood and urine specimens ( P < 0.05). These data are consistent with a role for marinobufagenin in the etiology of preeclampsia. This study demonstrated comparable results in blood and urine samples. This suggests that subsequent studies on levels of marinobufagenin as a screening test for preeclampsia could be done utilizing urine samples, which are easier to obtain, less invasive, more cost-effective, and as accurate as the serological tests.

Normal pregnancy: mechanisms underlying the paradox of a ouabain-resistant state with elevated endogenous ouabain, suppressed arterial sodium calcium exchange, and low blood pressure

“…Those studies using more specific immunoassays disagreed on whether EO either was (48) or was not (34) increased in pregnancy. Other work has also implicated marinobufagenin (MBG), a bufodienolide, in the clinical pathogenesis of PE (1,34) and elevated levels of MBG and digoxin-like materials have been described in pregnancy and become superelevated in PE (20,34,43). We did not measure marinobufagenin or digoxin in this study; however, our radioreceptor assay of the nonpolar SPE samples (which would include digoxin and marinobufagenin) suggests that these materials in rat plasma during normal pregnancy are collectively much less biologically active in our RRA system compared with their polar SPE ("ouabain-like") counterparts.…”

Synthetic Receptors Induce Anti Angiogenic and Stress Signaling on Human First Trimester Cytotrophoblast Cells

“…MBG, but not EO, is markedly elevated in PE [22]. Puschett and co-workers developed an ELISA with high specificity for MBG [23], which revealed a five-fold increase in serum MBG and a four-fold increase in urine MBG levels in preeclamptic patients versus normotensive pregnant women [24]. Plasma levels of MBG, but not EO, become elevated in patients with moderate PE [25].…”

Involvement of the Bufodienolides in the Pathogenesis and Potential Therapy of Preeclampsia, the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Solving for pressure, the formula becomes: P=Q x R. Evidence that excessive volume expansion is an important causative mechanism in PE has been provided by experiments performed by Chesley and his associates [8,9]. These workers determined that PE patients infused with saline demonstrated reduced excretion of sodium in the urine compared with both normal pregnant patients and those with pregnancy-related hypertension ( Figure 3) [10]. The relationship between the filtered load of sodium and its renal clearance.…”