Evidence that prostacyclin deficiency is a specific feature in preeclampsia

Abstract Much evidence has implied a deficient production of the antiaggregatory and vasodilator agent prostacyclin (PGl 2 ) in preeclampsia and some other chronic fetoplacental insufficiency syndromes. So that we could study whether this might be due to the possible effects of the mode of delivery and maternal epidural or general anesthesia, specimens of the umbilical arteries of infants born after normal (n = 46) or complicated (n = 25) pregnancies were superfused in vitro and their production of PGl 2 was determined by measuring 6-keto-prostaglandin F 1α (6-keto-PGF 1α , the hydrolysis product of PGl 2 ) by radioimmunoassay. The amounts of umbilical 6-keto-PGF 1α released in normal pregnancies after induced vaginal delivery (20.9 ± 2.4 ng/gm/min dry weight of tissue, mean ± SEM) and elective cesarean section (21.8 ± 2.2 ng/gm/min) were smaller (p 1α was even less (p 2 deficiency is a specific feature of preeclampsia.