Circulating Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone mRNA in Maternal Plasma: Relationship with Gestational Age and Severity of Preeclampsia

The relationships and predictive abilities of perceived stress, selected clinical risk factors, and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) levels in maternal plasma were investigated for their association with preterm labor (PTL), preterm birth, and gestational age at delivery. An exploratory, prospective, longitudinal research design was used to measure CRH 4 times over pregnancy, perceived stress at 24 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, clinical risk factors, and genitourinary infections in low-income women. Multiple regression analyses revealed that a model of measurement of perceived stress at 24 or 32 weeks, CRH at 24 or 32 weeks, and PTL (indicated by a diagnosis by the physicians on the medical record and greater than 5 contractions per hour on the fetal monitor) was predictive of as much as 0.23 to 0.27 of the variance in gestational age at birth. Entering ethnicity as a variable into a model did not improve the predictive value. An analysis of variance between Caucasian and Hispanic ethnic groups revealed differences in CRH levels. However, simple regression analysis of ethnicity as a predictor showed a weak r 2 with no significance for prediction. There was some evidence of an association of smoking with stress and both PTL and preterm birth. The measurement of stress combined with the measurement of CRH from maternal plasma may improve the prediction of which pregnant women are at risk for preterm birth. The measurement of CRH has potential as an early biological marker of preterm birth.

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Maternal plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone associated with stress at 20 weeks’ gestation in pregnancies ending in preterm delivery

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/s0002-9378(99)70712-x ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 180 (1) ◽

pp. S257-S263 ◽

Cited By ~ 304

Author(s):

Calvin J. Hobel ◽

Christine Dunkel-Schetter ◽

Scott C. Roesch ◽

Lony C. Castro ◽

Chander P. Arora

Keyword(s):

Preterm Delivery ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽

Releasing Hormone

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Plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone, β-endorphin and cortisol inter-relationships during human pregnancy

Acta Endocrinologica ◽

10.1530/acta.0.1280339 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 128 (4) ◽

pp. 339-344 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Eng-Cheng Chan ◽

Roger Smith ◽

Terry Lewin ◽

Max W Brinsmead ◽

Hong-Ping Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cord Blood ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽

Third Trimester ◽

Blood Samples ◽

Releasing Hormone ◽

Human Pregnancy ◽

The Third ◽

Dynamic Relationships

To investigate the dynamic relationships among corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), β-endorphin (βEP), cortisol and obstetric events during pregnancy, blood samples were collected from 193 women at 28 weeks, 38 weeks, during labour and on the second postnatal day. Cord blood at delivery was also obtained. We found that: (1) Maternal plasma CRH, βEP and cortisol rose from 28 to 38 weeks. (2) During the third trimester maternal plasma CRH and βEP were correlated (r=0.30, p<0.001). (3) During labour, no correlations were found among maternal plasma CRH, βEP and cortisol. (4) Maternal CRH at labour and the duration of labour were not correlated. (5) Maternal plasma CRH tended to be higher in women who delivered early (more than seven days prior to estimated date of confinement [EDC]) relative to those who were on time (within seven days' EDC) or late (greater than seven days after EDC). (6) CRH in maternal plasma at labour and cord blood were correlated (r = 0.29, p<0.05) as were maternal and fetal βEP (r=0.43, p<0.001). (7) Fetal obstetric difficulty was correlated with fetal βEP (r=0.54, p<0.001). Our findings support the hypothesis that maternal plasma CRH regulates maternal βEP during the third trimester, but other factors are involved during labour and in response to maternal obstetric stress.

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Predicting risk of preterm delivery by second-trimester measurement of maternal plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone and α-fetoprotein concentrations

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/s0002-9378(99)70461-8 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 181 (1) ◽

pp. 207-215 ◽

Cited By ~ 67

Author(s):

Mark McLean ◽

Andrew Bisits ◽

Joanne Davies ◽

William Walters ◽

Allan Hackshaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Delivery ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Second Trimester ◽

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽

Releasing Hormone

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Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone and Cortisol in Cord Plasma in Relation to Gestational Age, Labor, and Fetal Distress

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-2007-994641 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 10 (02) ◽

pp. 115-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Vineta Ruth ◽

Mikko Hallman ◽

Timo Laatikainen

Keyword(s):

Gestational Age ◽

Fetal Distress ◽

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽

Releasing Hormone ◽

Cord Plasma

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The Concentration of Circulating Corticotropin-releasing Hormone mRNA in Maternal Plasma Is Increased in Preeclampsia

Clinical Chemistry ◽

10.1373/49.5.727 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 49 (5) ◽

pp. 727-731 ◽

Cited By ~ 123

Author(s):

Enders K O Ng ◽

Tse N Leung ◽

Nancy B Y Tsui ◽

Tze K Lau ◽

Nirmal S Panesar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pregnant Women ◽

Gestational Age ◽

Reverse Transcription ◽

Peripheral Blood ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Blood Samples ◽

Reverse Transcription Pcr ◽

Plasma Rna

Abstract Background: Increased fetal DNA in maternal plasma/serum has been reported in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. We hypothesize that fetal RNA may also be increased in maternal plasma in preeclampsia. Methods: We developed a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay to measure the concentration of the mRNA of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) locus. Peripheral blood samples were obtained from healthy pregnant women both before and 2 h after delivery. Peripheral blood samples were also obtained from women suffering from preeclampsia and controls matched for gestational age. Plasma was harvested from these samples, and RNA was extracted. Plasma RNA was subjected to analysis by the reverse transcription-PCR assay. Results: CRH mRNA was detected in the plasma of 10 healthy pregnant women in the third trimester. CRH mRNA was found to be cleared very rapidly after cesarean section, with no detectable signal by 2 h postpartum. Plasma CRH mRNA concentrations were 1070 and 102 copies/mL, respectively, in 12 preeclamptic women and 10 healthy pregnant women matched for gestational age (Mann–Whitney test, P <0.001). Conclusion: Plasma CRH mRNA represents a new molecular marker for preeclampsia. Maternal plasma RNA is gender- and polymorphism-independent and may allow noninvasive gene-expression profiling of an unborn fetus.

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