Elevated placental secretion of the hormone neurokinin B (NKB) in early pregnancy might be an indicator of later pre-eclampsia, say Professor Philip Lowry (professor of biochemistry, school of animal and microbial sciences, University of Reading) and colleagues (Nature 2000;405:797).
The researchers describe a series of experiments showing that plasma concentrations of NKB were grossly elevated in pregnancy-induced hypertension and pre-eclampsia. "It is possible that increased secretion of NKB pre-dates the development of pre-eclampsia, and that increased levels of NKB in early pregnancy may identify pregnancies destined to develop the disease," suggest the researchers.
The use of certain neurokinin receptor antagonists, which are currently being developed, might be useful in alleviating the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, the researchers conclude.