S-nitrosohemoglobin in the fetal circulation may represent a cycle for blood pressure regulation.

It has recently been demonstrated, in rats, that hemoglobin transports nitric oxide (NO), as S-nitrosocysteine, from the lungs to the peripheral tissues. This cycle may be involved in the regulation of blood pressure and efficient delivery of oxygen in adult animals. We sought to determine whether this model was applicable to the human fetus. Umbilical cord blood was obtained from deliveries between 37 and 42 weeks of gestation (n = 19). NO, released from erythrocyte s-nitrosohemoglobin (SNO-Hb), was determined by the Saville reaction and total plasma NO was determined by the Greiss reaction. SNO-Hb levels were found to be higher in the umbilical vein, [SNO]/[Hb] = 2.19 +/- 1.22 (X10(-3)), than in the artery, [SNO]/[Hb] = 1.45 +/- 0.66 (X10(-3)) (P < 0.001, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test). This supports the hypothesis that fetal blood pressure may be regulated by erythrocytes acting via a hemoglobin-based mechanism.