Role of 5-hydroxytryptamine in toxaemia and abortion.

The clinical and pathological features of toxaemia have been produced by inj 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT). Spies and Stone (15) found increase of blood pressure b jeering 5-HT in normotensive, hypotensive and hypertensive subjects. Studies of Ro and Benditt (12) show that 5-HT is responsible for ederpa formation in rats. Intrave infusion of 5-HT causes renal cortical necrosis in rats (9). The work of the latter au also suggests a possible relationship between toxaemia of pregnancy and 5-HT. Krupp Krupp (7) found an apparantly increased plasma 5-HT level in toxaemia of pregnancy as pared to that in non-pregnant and normal pregnant females. Urinary excretion of 5· does not change significantly in toxaemia of pregnancy unless complicated by chronic pertension (13). Urinary level of 5-Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid (5-HIAA), a chief meta product of 5-HT has been estimated by Berry and Hughs (2) and Parikh and Bellare (1 cases of toxaemia of pregnancy. The former group of authors did not find any chan whereas the latter authors found a significantly reduced level of urinary 5-HJAA in toxa of pregnancy.