Fetal Endoxins and Complications of Pregnancy

Overview

Journal West J Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 1988 May 1

PMID 2845675

Authors

R C Goodlin

E L MAKOWSKI

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Maternal endoxin (digoxinlike substance) is proposed as arising in the fetal area of the fetal adrenal cortex. Its function may be to sensitize the uterus for labor, much as does cortisol in the sheep fetus. Because endoxin is a sodium-potassium-adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor, however, it may also induce maternal vasoconstriction. On our service, normal pregnant women have detectable endoxin after 35 weeks with increasing amounts at term. Specimens of cord blood often have "digoxin" in the therapeutic range. We find that about 40% of women in premature labor and 65% of pregnant women with hypertension have elevated levels of serum endoxin. Postdate gravid women sometimes have very low endoxin levels. Pregnant women with complications and elevated digoxin (endoxin) levels could have specific antidigoxin therapy if endoxin proves to be a modulator of their symptoms. Digoxinlike substances are also sometimes elevated in ill nonpregnant persons, such as those with renal, liver, or heart failure, or hypertension.

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