Elevated concentrations of prorenin and renin in amniotic fluid of women with chorioamnionitis.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of prorenin and renin in amniotic fluid of women under various physiologic and pathologic conditions. METHODS: Amniotic fluid was collected from women with chorioamnionitis treated in the Labor and Delivery Unit, University of Utah Medical Center, and from gestation-matched control women with preterm labor who were delivered within 1 week and later than 1 week and at term in labor or not in labor. Prorenin and renin concentrations were measured in these fluids by a direct immunoradiometric assay. RESULTS: Large amounts of prorenin and renin were detected in all samples with 85% to 95% in the form of prorenin. Concentrations of both prorenin and renin were significantly higher in the amniotic fluid of women with chorioamnionitis than in the amniotic fluid of control women. There were no other significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that amniotic fluid concentrations of renin and prorenin are elevated in women with clinically evident chorioamnionitis. We suggest that these elevations reflect a possible role for renin and prorenin in the pathophysiologic process of intrauterine infection-associated preterm labor.