Vol 22, No 1 (2018)
Original paper
Published online: 2017-11-24
Plasma concentration of tryptophan and pregnancy-induced hypertension
Arterial Hypertension 2018;22(1):9-15.
Abstract
Introduction. Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is one of the main clinical problems of unexplained etiopathogenesis. New factors involved in the pathogenesis of this disease are still being searched. The available literature lacks data regarding the differences in tryptophan concentrations in physiological and PIH-complicated pregnancy. Previous studies have shown that L-tryptophan treatment reduces blood pressure in hypertensive rats. The direct vascular effects of tryptophan have not been fully explored. In this study, the stimulating effect of tryptophan on the development of PIH was revealed. The aim of the present study was to assess the differences in plasma tryptophan concentrations in physiological pregnancies and pregnancies complicated with hypertension in the third trimester.
Material and methods. The study was carried on 105 complicated by PIH and 105 pregnant women with blood pressure within normal limits between 25 and 41 weeks of gestation. Tryptophan concentration was determined by the automated ion-exchange chromatography using an Amino Acid Analyser (AAA 400) by Ingos, Czech Republic. Tryptophan concentration was expressed in μmol/cm3 plasma.
Results. The mean concentration of tryptophan in the third trimester of physiological pregnancy was found to be 0.035 ± 0.009 μmol/cm3, whereas in PIH — 0.099 ± 0.007 μmol/cm3.
Conclusions. The development of PIH in pregnant women is likely to be caused by increased concentrations of tryptophan, which is a substrate for production of serotonin and tryptamine. Further studies are needed to analyse the kinetics of tryptophan metabolism.
Keywords: tryptophanpregnant womenhypertensionblood plasma
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