cyclic-gmp and Premature-Birth

To investigate the possibility of using nitric oxide and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels as predictors of preterm delivery.. Two hundred and thirty pregnant women were enrolled in this study; among them were 210 normal pregnant women (from 28 to 36(+6) gestational weeks) and 40 preterm pregnant women (from 36 to 36(+6) gestational weeks). The serum nitric oxide and cGMP levels were examined by oscillopolarography and radioimmunoassay, respectively.. In the normal pregnant women (from 28 to 36(+6) gestational weeks) , the serum nitric oxide level gradually increased from 1.9575 +/- 0.3509 to 2.2360 +/- 0.3486 micromol/L, and the serum cGMP level increased from 31.1625 +/- 3.9082 to 42.1850 +/- 11.3816 micromol/L as well. The highest levels of serum nitric oxide and cGMP were found in the 34-34(+6) and 33-33(+6) gestational weeks, respectively. The serum nitric oxide and cGMP levels in the preterm pregnant women were significantly lower as compared with those in the normal pregnant women (P < 0.01, P < 0.05), respectively.. This study has demonstrated great possibilities in the use of serum nitric oxide and cGMP levels as predictors of preterm delivery. Further investigation needs to be performed.

Topics: Adult; Cyclic GMP; Female; Humans; Nitric Oxide; Predictive Value of Tests; Pregnancy; Premature Birth