Effects of placental proteases on maternal and fetal blood pressure in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia

Although many proteases exist in human placenta, their physiologic roles are still unknown. Our study showed that placental proteases metabolize vasoactive peptides possibly derived from the fetus. Because vasopressin and angiotensin are known to play an important role in normal and aberrant (preeclampsia) fetal-placental circulation, the clearance of these peptides in the placenta is important in controlling fetal blood pressure. Vasopressin and angiotensin act as a fetal-placental vasoconstrictor; therefore, placental proteases in human placenta are likely to work as a clearance factor for these peptides. Although human and animal pregnancy is normally associated with a refractory response to the pressor effect of exogenously infused angiotensin II, patients with preeclampsia, as well as nonpregnant women, are sensitive to the pressor effect of angiotensin II. Our study suggested that the decreased pressor responsiveness to angiotensin II in pregnancy is caused by increased inactivation of angiotensin II by angiotensinase in pregnant serum and the placenta. Although vasopressinase and angiotensinase activities increase with advancing gestation in normal pregnant sera, the activities of both enzymes in severe preeclampsia sera were clearly lower than those in normal pregnancy. Therefore, it is reasonable to speculate that the increased sensitivity to angiotensin II of preeclampsia is attributable to the decreased degradation of angiotensin II by placental angiotensinase. The negative correlations between the systolic to diastolic ratio obtained from pulsed Doppler measurement techniques and the activities of both enzymes in preeclampsia sera suggested that the systolic to diastolic ratio, which reflected constriction of placental vessels, is influenced by the concentration of vasoactive peptides in the fetal-placental circulation due to changes in the activities of placental proteases. Placental proteases play important roles in controlling fetal and maternal blood pressure through regulation of the concentration of vasoactive peptides in the interface (placenta) between fetus and mother.