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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Nov 19.
Published in final edited form as: Hypertension. 2014 Sep 15;64(6):1189–1191. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.114.04255

Figure.

Figure

Hypothetical relationship of copeptin to preeclampsia (PE). Early in pregnancy an unknown factor(s) triggers the release of prepro–arginine vassopressin (prepro-AVP) from the brain. On cleavage of this precursor protein, AVP and measureable copeptin levels are increased in the circulation. In normal pregnancy, copeptin levels increase throughout gestation. However, an oversecretion of prepro-AVP leads to significantly increased AVP and copeptin levels. Increased AVP triggers overactivation of AVP receptors, which have currently unknown renal and vascular effects that lead to the development of PE in the second or third trimester of pregnancy.