The role of oxytocin and vasopressin in the pathophysiology of heart failure in pregnancy and in fetal and neonatal life.

The role of oxytocin and vasopressin in the pathophysiology of heart failure in pregnancy and in fetal and neonatal life. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2020 Feb 14;: Authors: Szczepanska-Sadowska EK, Cudnoch-Jedrzejewska A, Wsol A Abstract Pregnancy and early life create specific psychosomatic challenges for the mother and child, such as changes in hemodynamics, resetting of the water-electrolyte balance, hypoxia, pain and stress that all play an important role in the regulation of the release of oxytocin and vasopressin. Both these hormones regulate the water-electrolyte balance and cardiovascular functions, maturation of the cardiovascular system, and cardiovascular responses to stress. These aspects may be of particular importance in a state of emergency, such as hypertension in the mother or severe heart failure in the child. In this review, we draw attention to a broad spectrum of actions exerted by oxytocin and vasopressin in the pregnant mother and offspring during early life. To this end we discuss the following topics: 1) regulation of the secretion of oxytocin and vasopressin and expression of their receptors in the pregnant mother and child, 2) direct and indirect effects of oxytocin and vasopressin on the cardiovascular system in the healthy mother and fetus, and 3) positive and negative consequences of altered secretion of oxytocin and vasopressin in the mother with cardiovascular pathology, and in the progeny with he...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Source Type: research