In-vitro study of the effect of anti-hypertensive drugs on placental hormones and angiogenic proteins synthesis in pre-eclampsia.

Introduction: Antihypertensive drugs lower the maternal blood pressure in pre-eclampsia (PE) by direct or central vasodilatory mechanisms but little is known about the direct effects of these drugs on placental functions.

Objective: The aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of labetolol, hydralazine, α-methyldopa and pravastatin on the synthesis of placental hormonal and angiogenic proteins know to be altered in PE.

Design: Placental villous explants from late onset PE (n = 3) and normotensive controls (n = 6) were cultured for 3 days at 10 and 20% oxygen (O2) with variable doses anti-hypertensive drugs.

Soluble Flt-1 and PlGF: new markers of early pregnancy loss?

Recent data have indicated a relationship between placental oxygen and angiogenic protein levels in the first trimester of normal pregnancies. Our objective was to investigate if maternal serum levels of angiogenic factors Soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor 1 (sFlt-1), soluble Endoglin and placental growth factor (PlGF) are altered in women with symptoms of threatened miscarriage (TM) and if they are predictive of a subsequent miscarriage. Blood samples were collected at 6-10 weeks from women presenting with TM (n = 40), from asymptomatic controls (n = 32) and from non- pregnant women in their luteal phase (n = 14).