IN-VITRO EFFECT OF ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID ANTIBODY-CONTAINING SERA ON BASALAND GONADOTROPIN-RELEASING HORMONE-DEPENDENT HUMAN CHORIONIC-GONADOTROPIN RELEASE BY CULTURED TROPHOBLAST CELLS

Our objective was to evaluate whether antiphospholipid antibody-contai ning sera could play a regulatory role in signal transduction induced by gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) when incubated with normal hu man trophoblast cells. To test this hypothesis we established an in vi tro placental culture system in which GnRH addition in the presence of normal human serum resulted in a significant increase in human chorio nic gonadotrophin (hCG) secretion. When GnRH was added to the culture medium with antiphospholipid antibody-containing sera, the hCG increas e was inhibited. These results suggest the possibility that antiphosph olipid antibody-positive sera can exert their effect on GnRH-induced s ignal transduction. Further studies are needed to explain their exact site of action.