Chukwubike Okeke
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Endocrinol Metab Synd
Objectives: Prolactin is polypeptide hormone secreted by mammotropic cells of anterior pituitary gland during pregnancy primarily for breast milk formation. The effects of HIV infection and also antiretroviral on its production was investigated in this study in a total of 120 subjects at second and third trimester of pregnancy. Material/methods: 60 of these subjects were HIV seropositive pregnant women who commenced antiretroval treatment with highly active antiretroviral drugs (HAART) at second trimester after sample collection. The rest 60 subjects were HIV seronegative pregnant women. Their blood samples were collected at second and third trimester of pregnancy and serum prolactin level was estimated using enzyme link immunosorbent assay method. Result: It was observed that serum prolactin levels of HIV infected pregnant women at second trimester 58.72ｱ5.28 ng/ml was significantly lower (P<0.05) than that of seronegative pregnant women 104.71ｱ7.68 ng/ml at the same trimester. There was an increase in prolactin levels in both groups of women from second through third trimester of pregnancy, but the increase in HIV seropositive women was not statistically significant (P>0.05) from 58.72ｱ5.28 ng/ml to 67.06ｱ4.92 ng/ml. Conclusion: Human immunodeficiency virus infection has a suppressing effect on prolactin secretion in pregnant women and commencement of highly active antiretroviral therapy at second trimester did not significantly remedy the effect before delivery.
Okeke Chukubike obtained his PhD and MSc degrees in chemical pathology from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. He obtained Fellow of Institute of Medical Laboratory Sciences in Hematology and Blood Group Serology in 1999. He has publications in reputable journals. He is currently lecturer in department of Prosthesis and Orthopedic Technology, School of Health Technology, Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria. He has been collaborating with his professional colleagues in laboratory medicine researches.
