Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide and Prostanoid Production in Normal and Single Umbilical Artery Cords in Normotensive and Hypertensive Pregnancies

Abstract

Umbilical arteries from normal pregnancies and from pregnancies with preeclampsia were perfused in vitro to study the effect of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on the vascular production of prosta-cyclin and thromboxane. Two of the umbilical cords investigated had a single umbilical artery (SUA).

The prostacyclin/thromboxane-ratio of the basal production was lower in the preeclampsia group than in the control group. The cords with SUA displayed markedly higher outflow levels of prostacyclin, but similar levels of thromboxane, as compared to the normal double artery cords. Addition of VIP elicited an increase in the production of prostacyclin while that of thromboxane was slightly reduced.