Measurement, characterization, and source of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in human amniotic fluid.

Somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) is widely distributed in tissues and biological fluids. To determine whether SLI is also present in amniotic fluid, samples obtained by amniocentesis from 30 normal and 27 abnormal pregnancies were studied by radioimmunoassay. Direct incubation of [(125)I-Tyr(1)]tetradecapeptide somatostatin (SRIF) with amniotic fluid resulted in 89% tracer degradation. Damage was reduced to <5% when samples were acidified and boiled before the assay. With this technique, SLI was detectable in all normal amniotic fluid samples; the mean level at 15-20 wk of gestation (320+/-55 pg/ml, n = 15) being 4.5 times higher than the mean at 32-43 wk (70+/-12 pg/ml, n = 15) (P < 0.001). In cases of preeclampsia (n = 6), gestational diabetes (n = 5), anencephaly (n = 1), and meningomyelocele (n = 1), SLI values were in the normal range, but in one juvenile diabetic and one patient with chronic renal failure, SLI was undetectable (<10 pg/ml). In a pair of monochorionic diamniotic twins, SLI levels were very different (33 and 197 pg/ml), which suggests that fetal factors are more important than materno-placental ones in determining amniotic fluid SLI. Serial dilutions of amniotic fluid showed parallelism with standard SRIF. When concentrates of pooled amniotic fluid were chromatographed on Sephadex G-25 columns, all SLI eluted in the void volume ahead of SRIF even after treatment with 8 M urea and dithiothreitol. This "big" SLI incubated in amniotic fluid showed 100% stability over 24 h at 37 degrees C, whereas SRIF was rapidly inactivated (t((1/2)) congruent with 7 min). Extracts of placenta and fetal membranes contained no SLI, but small amounts (6-20% of total amniotic fluid SLI) were found in cells from fresh fluid. Radioimmunoassay of SLI in extracts of seven paired cord arterial and venous plasma samples showed no arteriovenous gradient consistent with fetal origin of cord blood SLI. It is concluded that (a) amniotic fluid contains SLI which is of fetal origin and (b) normal levels vary with gestational age. The SLI has a higher molecular weight (>/=5,000) and is more stable in amniotic fluid than SRIF.