HEPARIN AND LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN RESTORE PLACENTAL HUMAN CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN SECRETION ABOLISHED BY ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODY-CONTAINING SERA

This study was conducted to determine whether drugs used for conventio nal treatments of pregnant women with antiphosholipid syndrome might b e able to restore the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced s ecretion of placental human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in vitro, We tested this hypothesis using a modified enzyme-linked immunosorbent a ssay (ELISA) and an in-vitro placental culture system. Pharmacological dose of low molecular weight heparin (20 IU/ml) significantly (P < 0. 02) reduced the antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) binding in the ELISA a nd was able to restore GnRH-induced HCG secretion (P < 0.05) in presen ce of aPL-containing sera, Low-dose aspirin (0.03 M) did not modify aP L binding in the ELISA, but partially restored HCG secretion (P < 0.05 ). These observations may help to explain the role of these treatments in antiphospholipid syndrome.