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NCT Number: NCT00275158

Glomerular Injury of Preeclampsia

Pre-eclampsia complicates 7 - 10% of pregnancies and constitutes a leading cause of fetal growth retardation and premature birth, as well as infant and maternal morbidity and mortality. The kidney is the primary site of injury resulting in high blood pressure, loss of protein into the urine and decreased kidney function. The release of vasoconstrictors over vasodilators from an abnormal placenta may underlie pre-eclampsia. Nitric Oxide (NO) is an important vasodilator that is thought to play an important role in the kidneys ability to accommodate to a healthy pregnancy. Normal pregnancy in the rat is accompanied by increased production of NO and its second messenger cGMP. There is a parallel increase in renal expression of constitutive nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme that generates NO from arginine. In the pregnant rat, an infusion of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an exogenous inhibitor of NOS, has been shown to replicate some of the hemodynamic features of the syndrome of pre-eclampsia. In a recent animal study, L-arginine supplementation reversed the adverse effects of L-NAME on pregnancy by attenuating the high blood pressure and by significantly decreasing protein loss in the urine. To date, studies of the use of L-arginine supplementation to treat women with pre-eclampsia have been small or uncontrolled and have only assessed blood pressure as a primary outcome measure. We report a single center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of L-arginine supplementation for the treatment of pre-eclampsia, in which precise physiological techniques have been utilized to assess kidney dysfunction in addition to blood pressure.

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Key information

Conditions

Pre-eclampsia Cardiovascular Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Hypertension Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced Pregnancy Complications Urogenital Diseases Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Stanford University Medical Center

Stanford, California, 94305, United States

About this study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefit of L-arginine, the precursor to nitric oxide (NO), to blood pressure and recovery of the glomerular lesion in pre-eclampsia.

METHODS: 45 women with pre-eclampsia were randomized to receive either L-arginine or placebo until day 10 post-partum. Primary outcome measures including MAP, glomerular filtration rate and proteinuria were assessed on the third and tenth days postpartum by inulin clearance and albumin-to-creatinine (A/C) ratio. NO, cyclic guanosine 3'5' monophosphate (cGMP), endothelin-1 (ET) and asymmetric-dimethyl-arginine (ADMA) and arginine levels were assayed prior to delivery, on the third and tenth day postpartum. Healthy gravid women provided control values. Assuming a standard deviation of 10 mmHg, the study was powered to detect a 10 mmHg difference in MAP (alpha 0.05, beta 0.20) between the study groups.

RESULTS: No significant differences existed between the groups with pre-eclampsia prior to randomization. Compared to the gravid control group, women with pre-eclampsia did not reveal significantly depressed levels of serum arginine, but did reveal significantly increased serum levels of ET, cGMP and ADMA prior to delivery. Despite a significant increase in serum arginine levels due to treatment, no differences were found in the levels of NO, ET, cGMP or ADMA between the two groups with pre-eclampsia. Further, there were no significant differences in any of the primary outcome measures with both groups demonstrating equivalent improvements in both blood pressure and proteinuria.

CONCLUSION: Blood pressure and kidney function improve markedly in pre-eclampsia by the tenth day postpartum. L-arginine supplementation does not hasten this recovery.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Women selected for the study were diagnosed with pre-eclampsia in the second half of pregnancy.

i.) an elevation of blood pressure to levels in excess of 140 systolic over 90 diastolic ii.) proteinuria determined by a urine dipstick value ≥ 2+, or quantitated at ≥ 0.5 g either per gram of creatinine or in a 24 hour urine collection.

Exclusion criteria

  • Women with a history of underlying renal disease defined as a pre-pregnancy azotemia (serum creatinine ≥ 1.2 mg/dl) or proteinuria

Treatment and study plan

L-Arginine Supplementation

Drug

Primary outcomes

  1. Mean Arterial Pressure

  2. Glomerular Filtration Rate (inulin clearance)

  3. Proteinuria (albumin to creatinine ratio)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Vasoactive hormone levels - Nitric Oxide, Endothelin, cGMP, ADMA

  2. Neonatal Outcomes

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Nih

Collaborators

  • National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)

Registry information

Official study title

Effect of L-Arginine Therapy on the Glomerular Injury of Pre-Eclampsia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2000
Study completion
2003
First posted
Jan 11, 2006
Registry last updated
Jan 14, 2010

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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