Background: Previously has been reported the antioxidant function of iodine, and iodine deficiency as a risk factor of preeclampsia.Aim: We analyze the association between iodine deficiency, oxidative stress and antioxidant status with hypertensive disease of pregnancy (HPD).Method: 57 pregnant women were recruited in the last trimester of pregnancy, 20 diagnosed with hypertensive disease of pregnancy and 37 normotensive pregnant women. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), TSH, free T4 (fT4), total antioxidant status (FRP), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and oxidative stress (TBARS) were evaluated by colorimetric methods.Results: UIC median for all pregnant women was of 151.9 µg / L. The UIC median for pregnant women with HPD was between 50-149 µg/L compared to 150-249 µg/L in normotensive women. No significant changes were found in levels of TSH and fT4 in normotensive pregnant compared with HPD women. Pregnant women with HPD had significant high levels of TBARS, and significant low levels of FRP, SOD, CAT and UIC compared to normotensive pregnant. In addition, pregnant women with optimal levels of UIC had a higher SOD activity (R = 0.354, P = 0.011), while iodine deficiency was associated with HPD (R = -0,281, p = 0.039). Similarly, pregnant with HPD had a significant negative association with SOD activity (R = -0,702, p = 0.005), CAT (R = -0,409, p = 0.002), and FRP (R = -0,624, p = 0.003), and a positive association with TBARS (R = 0.744, p = 0.001).Conclusion: iodine contributes to REDOX balance during pregnancy; its deficiency is associated with HPD. This study shows the importance of iodine during pregnancy.

Overweight and obesity are defined as excessive and abnormal fat accumulation that is harmful to health. This study analyzes the effect of different concentrations of the lugol solution (molecular iodine dissolved in potassium iodide) on lipolysis in cultured 3T3-L1-differentiated adipocytes. The mature adipocytes were treated with doses from 1 to 100 µm of lugol for 0.5, 6, and 24 h. The results showed that mature adipocytes exposed to lugol decrease their viability and increase caspase-3 activity with a lethal dose (LD50) of 473 µm. In mature adipocytes, lugol decreased the total intracellular lipid content, being significant at doses of 10 and 100 µm after 6 and 24 h of treatment (P<0.01), and the accumulation of intracellular triglycerides decreased after 24 h of exposure to lugol (P<0.05). Lugol treatment significantly increases the release of glycerol to the culture medium (P<0.05). The levels of adipocyte-specific transcription factors C/EBP-α were downregulated and PPAR-γ upregulated after 30 min with lugol. These results indicate a lipolytic effect of lugol dependent on PPAR-γ and C/EBP-α expression in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Background and Objectives: Candida species are antifungal-resistant opportunistic infections that spread through contami- nated medical staff hands and hospital surfaces creating a nosocomial infection risk. Iodine´s antibacterial properties are well established; however, its antifungal properties remain unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the antifungal effects of lugol on cell viability and oxidative stress on Candida albicans and Candida glabrata strains. Materials and Methods: MTT reduction test and sensitivity growth assay were used to determine viability and minimal inhibitory concentration, colorimetric tests were used to analyzing lipoperoxidation and antioxidant status in C. albicans, parental C. glabrata, C. glabrata lacking catalase gene (cta1) and superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 double mutants (sod1∆ sod2∆) strains exposure to lugol were used. Results: In both C. albicans and C. glabrata wild types lugol treatment decreased cellular viability in a dose-dependent man- ner at 30 mm. The cytotoxic lugol effect was characterized by the increase of oxidative stress and the reduction of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzyme activities. C. glabrata strains lacking catalase (cta1) and superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 double mutants (sod1∆ sod2∆) were less resistant to lugol than parental C. glabrata strains. Conclusion: In Candida strains iodine lugol solution has antifungal properties, producing cytotoxicity and oxidative stress. Superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 activities are involved in resistance of Candida to iodine.

In epidemiological clinical reports iodine excess has been associated with diabetes mellitus type 2 and higher blood glucose. The relationship between iodine, pancreas, adipose tissue and glucose transport is unclear. The goal of this study was analyzing the effect of iodine concentrations (as lugol solution) on glucose transport, insulin secretion and cytotoxic effects in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes and beta-TC-6 cells. The mature adipocytes and Beta-TC-6 cells were treated with 1 to 1000 µM of lugol (molecular iodine dissolved in potassium iodide) for 30 minutes to 24 hours, glucose uptake was measured with the fluorescent analog 2-NBDG, insulin receptor, Akt protein, P-Akt (ser-473) and GLUT4 were measured by immunoblot in mature adipocytes and insulin secretion, cytotoxic MTT assay, oxidative stress and caspase-3 activation were measurement by colorimetric methods. Higher doses of lugol significantly promotes cell growth inhibition, induces oxidative stress and caspase-3 activation on adipocytes and Beta-TC-6 cells. Low levels of lugol significantly induces insulin secretion in Beta-TC-6 cells and increases glucose transport in mature adipocytes. The insulin secretion decrease with higher doses of lugol. Lugol treatment increases GLUT4 protein expression and induce serine-473 phosphorylation of Akt (P-Akt) in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes Hence, it appears that low iodine concentrations might regulate glucose metabolism, though higher doses have cytotoxic effects in adipocytes and pancreatic cells via oxidative stress.

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