Increasing evidence for and regulation of a human placental endogenous digitalis-like factor.

Endogenous digitalis-like factors (EDLFs) appear to be hypertensiogenic and increased in the serum and placenta of women with preeclampsia (PE), a complication of pregnancy. Digibind, an anti-digoxin antibody Fab fragment, reverses in vitro effects of EDLF and in vivo features of PE. We used Digibind in a radioimmunoassay to measure EDLF and compared this to a bio-functional assay of EDLF with good agreement.

Digibind reverses inhibition of cellular rb+ uptake caused by endogenous sodium pump inhibitors present in serum and placenta of women with preeclampsia.

Introduction: Mechanisms mediating preeclampsia (PE) are unclear. Endogenous digitalis-like factors (EDLFs) are sodium pump (SP) inhibitors implicated in essential hypertension, but not fully explored in PE. This study asks whether EDLFs are present and increased in PE and considers their source.