High levels of human Chromogranin A in umbilical cord plasma and amniotic fluid at parturition

The human placenta is a neuroendocrine organ that produces several hypothalamic and pituitary hormones that are secreted during pregnancy and parturition into maternal and fetal circulation and amniotic fluid. Human chromogranin A (CgA) is a glycoprotein mainly localized to the adrenal medulla and released in response to several stressful events. During pregnancy, intrauterine tissues express and synthesize CgA mRNA and peptide and secret it into the biologic fluids of pregnancy, so we investigated whether maternal, umbilical, and amniotic human CgA levels are affected by the stress of parturition.