Plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone, β-endorphin and cortisol inter-relationships during human pregnancy

Chan, Eng‐Cheng; Smith, Roger; Lewin, Terry J.; Brinsmead, Max; Zhang, Hongping; Cubis, Jeff; Thornton, Kathryn; Hurt, Di

doi:10.1530/acta.0.1280339

Cited by 85 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 15 publications

(34 reference statements)

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“…Additionally, placental CRH could be ineffective because the CRH-binding protein counteracts the secretory action of CRH on maternal and placental ACTH as well (14). It has been shown also that plasma CRH and ACTH levels both rise during the latter half of pregnancy, supporting the hypothesis that placental CRH stimulates maternal corticotrophs (15,16). On the other hand discrepancies occur between CRH and ACTH levels during pregnancy, because plasma ACTH remains within the range of nonpregnant subjects, despite extremely elevated maternal CRH concentrations (17).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone and ACTH levels in maternal and fetal blood during spontaneous and oxytocin-induced labour

et al. 2001

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The changes in corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), ACTH and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in maternal and fetal plasma were estimated in women undergoing spontaneous and oxytocininduced labour to correlate hormone changes with the mode of parturition. Blood was sampled from a maternal peripheral vein 2 days before labour, during the second stage of labour and on the second postnatal day, and also from umbilical vessels just after delivery. Hormone concentrations were measured by RIA and ELSA methods. The maternal plasma CRH concentration before labour was significantly higher in the group of women delivered spontaneously and declined during the labour through to the second postnatal day. Measured in umbilical vessels, CRH as well as ACTH concentrations were higher in the umbilical vein than artery. The mean maternal plasma ACTH was similar in both groups before delivery, then increased significantly in both groups during the labour, decreasing on the second day after delivery. There were no changes in DHEA concentrations among the groups and at all time points of collection. No correlations between CRH and ACTH or DHEA were observed. Our results suggest that the maternal pituitary can respond to stress factors during delivery but peripheral CRH, probably mainly of placental origin, is not a major modulator of pituitary action.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone and ACTH levels in maternal and fetal blood during spontaneous and oxytocin-induced labour

et al. 2001

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“…Cortisol and insulin concentrations, which increase during pregnancy (Kuhl, 1991;Chan et al, 1993), may also stimulate the production of leptin from the adipocytes. The possibility, however, exists that leptin is produced by the placenta, since there is evidence that human placenta expresses ob gene (Luoh et al, 1997;Masuzaki et al, 1997;Senaris et al, 1997).…”

Section: Pregnancymentioning

confidence: 99%

Leptin in human reproduction

Messinis¹

1999

Human Reproduction Update

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The recent discovery of the obese (ob) gene has provided new insight into the mechanism which controls body fat mass. Leptin, a product of the ob gene, serves as the link between fat and the brain. This protein, by acting at the level of the hypothalamus, decreases food intake and increases energy expenditure. Animals that lack leptin (ob/ob mice) develop profound obesity and become infertile. Treatment of these animals with leptin reduces food intake and restores normal fertility. Although leptin is important for the control of fat stores in certain species, the role of this substance in the development of human obesity remains obscure. However, it has been speculated that, in humans, obesity is related to leptin resistance. The relationship between fat and reproduction has been recognized for >20 years. This article discusses the relationship between leptin and human reproduction. In particular, recent knowledge about the possible role of leptin in various conditions such as puberty, polycystic ovary syndrome and pregnancy is reviewed. Also, the article discusses the possible role of leptin in ovarian function and the relationship of this protein with gonadal steroids. It is expected that future research will clarify the physiological importance of leptin in human reproductive function.

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“…Chan et al [17] found no correlation between maternal plasma CRH and cortisol during delivery or the duration of labor, but in contrast, Smith et al [18] did report a correlation between maternal plasma CRH and cortisol during labor. Wolfe et al [8] were able to show an association between CRH levels, gestational age and weight gain during pregnancy, but with no other obstetric variable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Childbirth as a Biological Model for Stress?

Bergant

Kirchler²,

Heim³

et al. 1998

Gynecol Obstet Invest

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Objective: The aims of this investigation were to measure corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol before, during and after delivery searching for an endocrine intercorrelation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and to correlate these findings with obstetrical variables. Methods: Blood was sampled from 50 women with singleton pregnancies at term without uterine contractions, during delivery (after full cervical dilatation) and on the 4th postnatal day. Hormones were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). The correlation between obstetric variables, sociodemographic and endocrine data were evaluated using the Spearman rank coefficient. Group comparisons for continuous variables were calculated using the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Maternal plasma ACTH and cortisol increased significantly during labor, declining toward the 4th postnatal day (p < 0.001) and showing a significant intercorrelation (p < 0.01). Compared to women without uterine contractions CRH rose during labor (p < 0.05) and decreased rapidly to the 4th postnatal day (p < 0.001). No correlations between CRH and ACTH or cortisol were observed. None of the obstetrical variables (parity, newborn’s weight, duration of delivery) revealed any significant correlation with ACTH. Analgetic medication (pethidine hydrochloride) was not able to influence the endocrine response to labor stress. Conclusions: Stressful experience during childbirth has an impact on endocrine response. However, this is not fully evident along the HPA axis in a simple biological model with monocausal dependencies. This ‘biological stress model’ is not sensitive enough to detect different childbirth conditions and the hormones in the maternal compartment have partially fetal (placental) origin.

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Plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone, β-endorphin and cortisol inter-relationships during human pregnancy

Cited by 85 publications

References 15 publications

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone and ACTH levels in maternal and fetal blood during spontaneous and oxytocin-induced labour

Corticotrophin-releasing hormone and ACTH levels in maternal and fetal blood during spontaneous and oxytocin-induced labour

Leptin in human reproduction

Childbirth as a Biological Model for Stress?

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