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Placental and maternal serum activin A in spontaneous and induced labor in late-term pregnancy

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Abstract

Purpose

Feto-placental unit represents an important source of activin A, a member of transforming growth factors-β involved in the mechanisms of labor. No evidences are available on activin A in pregnancies beyond 41 weeks of gestation, where induction of labor is often required. The present study aimed to evaluate activin A maternal serum levels and placental mRNA expression in term and late-term pregnancy, with spontaneous or induced labor, and its possible role to predict the response to labor induction.

Methods

Maternal serum samples and placental specimens were collected from women with singleton pregnancy admitted for either term spontaneous labor (n = 23) or induction of labor for late-term pregnancy (n = 41), to evaluate activin A serum levels and placental mRNA expression. Univariate and multivariate analyses on activin A serum levels, maternal clinical parameters, and cervical length were conducted in women undergoing induction of labor.

Results

Maternal serum activin A levels and placental activin A mRNA expression in late-term pregnancies were significantly higher than at term. Late-term pregnancies who did not respond to induction of labor showed significantly lower levels of activin A compared to responders. The combination of serum activin A and cervical length achieved a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93.55% for the prediction of successful induction.

Conclusion

Late-term pregnancy is characterized by hyperexpression of placental activin A and increased maternal activin A secretion. By combining maternal serum activin A levels with cervical length, a good predictive model for the response to induction of labor was elaborated.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the midwife team of Obstetric Unit of Siena, for contributing to collect data for this study.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Molecular and Developmental Medicine, University of Siena, Policlinico “Santa Maria alle Scotte” Viale Bracci, 53100, Siena, Italy

    L. Funghi, M. Torricelli, R. Novembri, S. Vannuccini, F. M. Severi & F. Petraglia

  2. Department of Medical Biotechnology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy

    G. Cevenini

  3. Department of Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    M. Di Tommaso

Authors
  1. L. Funghi
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  2. M. Torricelli
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  3. R. Novembri
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  4. S. Vannuccini
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  5. G. Cevenini
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  6. M. Di Tommaso
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  7. F. M. Severi
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  8. F. Petraglia
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Correspondence to F. Petraglia.

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The authors report no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (Prot. 325/05 B) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Funghi, L., Torricelli, M., Novembri, R. et al. Placental and maternal serum activin A in spontaneous and induced labor in late-term pregnancy. J Endocrinol Invest 41, 171–177 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-017-0640-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40618-017-0640-z

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