Placental leucine aminopeptidase/oxytocinase in maternal serum and placenta during normal pregnancy.

Placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP), which is identical with cystine aminopeptidase as oxytocinase, was found to be homologous with rat insulin-regulated membrane aminopeptidase (IRAP) by sequence comparison. In the current study, we determined the P-LAP levels in maternal serum and placenta during healthy pregnancy. P-LAP activities in maternal serum increased with gestation and rose to the peak of 80 IU/ml at 38 weeks of gestation. Northern blot analysis revealed the increase of P-LAP mRNA levels in placenta in the third trimester compared to the first trimester. P-LAP protein and related activities could be detected in the conditioned medium of placental tissue, while they could not be detected in that of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Immunohistochemically P-LAP was positively stained in the apical membrane of syncytiotrophoblast cells throughout the gestation. These results established the normal range of serum and tissue P-LAP levels during pregnancy and the possible source of serum P-LAP, which will be helpful to elucidate the physiological and clinical roles of P-LAP/oxytocinase/IRAP.