Human placenta is the major source of
activin A in maternal circulation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate maternal
activin A serum concentration in pregnant women with chronic
hypertension (n = 14),
pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 10) or
pre-eclampsia (n = 16). In the group of pregnant women with chronic
hypertension and of healthy pregnant women (n = 10)
activin A was measured in samples collected longitudinally throughout gestation. Using a specific two-site
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay, it has been possible to measure maternal serum
activin A concentration. In addition, the effect of recombinant human
activin A administration on mean arterial pressure and heart rate in female rats have been also investigated. Mean +/- SEM of maternal serum
activin A concentration in pre-eclamptic women (57.4 +/- 28.3 ng/ml), was significantly higher than in women with
pregnancy-induced hypertension (14.8 +/- 10.5 ng/ml), chronic
hypertension (10.3 +/- 5.4 ng/ml) or healthy control women (9.2 +/- 9.4 ng/ml) (P < 0.01). Serum
activin A levels evaluated 2 weeks after
anti-hypertensive treatment were not significantly different in pre-eclamptic women. Moreover, when exogenous recombinant human
activin A was administered in female rats arterial pressure or frequency of heart rate did not change. The present study showed that maternal serum
activin A concentration is abnormally high in patients with
pre-eclampsia. Thus, since the patients with chronic
hypertension or
pregnancy-induced hypertension have
activin A concentration in the normal range of values,
activin A may be a prognostic marker of
hypertension in pregnancy.