Tubular proteins and enzyme content in the amniotic fluid.

Amniotic fluid is the product of many substances and fetal urine is considered to be one of the principal components. Only a few reports have been published describing the concentration of microglobulins and urinary enzymes in the amniotic fluid. We determined the levels of alpha(1)-m, beta(2)-m, AAP and NAG, in 154 samples of amniotic fluid (103 early determinations and 51 late determinations) as a function of gestational age. We observed a statistically significant decrease in concentration of alpha(1)-m (P < 0.001), beta(2)-m (P < 0.01) and AAP (P < 0.001) when early and late amniotic fluid samples were compared. A statistically significant increase of NAG (P < 0.01) and creatinine (P < 0.01) was also found. A significant correlation was observed between alpha(1)-m and beta(2)-m, and between AAP and NAG, respectively. The potential role of urinary enzyme and microglobulin determination in amniotic fluid as an index of fetal kidney development, is discussed.