[Study on the level of placental urocortin and corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2beta of preeclampsia].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relation between the expression of urocortin and corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2beta (CRH-R2beta) in the placenta and pathogenesis of preeclampsia. METHODS: Placentas were collected from 20 pregnant women with preeclampsia as study group and 20 normal pregnant women as control group. Urocortin mRNA and CRH-R2beta mRNA were measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Urocortin peptide was measured by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: (1) The mRNA expression of urocortin was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in preeclampsia (1.14 +/- 0.26) compared with normal pregnancies (0.78 +/- 0.46). (2) There was no significant difference between the expression of CRH-R2beta mRNA of preeclampsia (0.89 +/- 0.33) and of normal pregnancies (0.93 +/- 0.50). (3) The result of immunohistochemistry demonstrated that urocortin was predominantly localized in syntrophoblast with weak staining in cyntrophoblast and capillaries. Urocortin in syntrophoblast of preeclampsia was significantly higher than that of normal pregnancy (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that urocortin peptide and mRNA is increased in women with preeclampsia. This may be a kind of stress-responsive compensatory mechanism in human placenta. Urocortin may play a role in the pathology of the disease.