Nitric oxide platelet production in spontaneous miscarriage in the first trimester.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the role played by platelet nitric oxide (NO) metabolism in patients with spontaneous miscarriage (SM) and recurrent spontaneous miscarriage (RSM) compared with healthy pregnant women.

DESIGN

Retrospective case-control study.

SETTING

Patients and controls in an academic research environment.

INTERVENTION(S): None.

PATIENT(S): Thirty singleton pregnant women who experienced SM, nine singleton pregnant women who presented with RSM, and 30 singleton healthy pregnant women matched for age, parity, and gestational age were enrolled.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): NO levels and peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) production; moreover, inducible NO synthase (iNOS), endothelial NO synthase (eNOS), and nitrotyrosine expression (N-Tyr) were observed in the same samples.

RESULT(S): A significant increase was shown in platelet NO and ONOO(-) levels and in iNOS and N-Tyr both in SM and in RSM pregnant women compared with controls.

CONCLUSION(S): The data herein reported imply that a modified NO pathway might play a key role in the physiological changes of advancing gestation but may also contribute to the pathophysiology of spontaneous miscarriage. Thus, any factors balancing NO metabolism might be useful in the treatment of miscarriage, thus reducing the substantial morbidity and associated mortality.