Plasma cyclic GMP concentrations and their relationship with changes of blood pressure levels in pre-eclampsia.

Background: One of the possible mechanisms responsible for pre-eclampsia is a loss of efficiency of the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway with subsequent inactivation of the guanylyl cyclases of the vascular smooth muscle cells. As a result there should be a decrease in plasma cyclic 3'-5' guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) concentrations in pre-eclampsia. We assessed the behavior of this nucleotid in the plasma of pre-eclamptic women.