Human Reproduction, Vol 12, 1089-1093, Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press
S Muttukrishna, TJ Child, NP Groome and WL Ledger
It is now established that the glycoprotein hormone inhibin is produced by
primate granulosa cells, corpus luteum and trophoblast of human placenta.
This study was designed to investigate the major source of inhibins and
activin A in early pregnancy using a novel panel of assays with high
specificity and sensitivity. A total of 12 women (aged 20-35 years) with
singleton pregnancy undergoing first trimester (group 1: 6- 8; group 2:
8-10; group 3: 10-12 weeks of gestation) termination of pregnancy (TOP) was
recruited for the study. Blood samples were taken before TOP, every 15 min
for the first hour and hourly for the next 3 h after TOP (total of 4 h of
measurements). Circulating concentrations of inhibin A, pro alpha C,
activin A, human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG), oestradiol and progesterone
were higher in early pregnancy than at any stage of the menstrual cycle.
Peripheral concentrations of inhibin A and activin A were significantly
decreased within the first hour in all three groups and gradually decreased
to even lower concentrations within the study period. Pro alpha C
concentrations decreased within the first hour and then remained unaltered
during the next 3 h. Similarly, HCG, oestradiol and progesterone
concentrations in circulation decreased substantially within 4 h of TOP.
Correlation analyses showed a significant positive correlation (P <
0.001) between inhibin A, activin A, HCG, and oestradiol concentrations
throughout the study period. In summary, this study shows that the
feto-placental unit is the major source of increased circulating
concentrations of inhibin A in early pregnancy. Activin A is produced by
the feto-placental unit and the corpus luteum. Pro alpha C-containing
inhibins are mainly secreted by the corpus luteum in early pregnancy.
ARTICLES
Source of circulating levels of inhibin A, pro alpha C-containing inhibins and activin A in early pregnancy
Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
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