Placental Oxidative Status throughout Normal Gestation in Women with Uncomplicated Pregnancies

Abstract

The effects of gestational age on placental oxidative balance throughout gestation were investigated in women with uncomplicated pregnancies. Placental tissues were obtained from normal pregnant women who delivered at term or underwent elective pregnancy termination at 6 to 23 + 6 weeks of pregnancy. Placental tissues were analyzed for total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and lipid peroxide (malondialdehyde, MDA) levels using commercially available kits. Two hundred and one placental tissues were analyzed and the mean ± SD MDA (pmol/mg tissue) and TAC (µmol Trolox equivalent/mg tissue) levels for first, second, and third trimester groups were 277.01 ± 204.66, 202.66 ± 185.05, and 176.97 ± 141.61, P < 0.004 and 498.62 ± 400.74, 454.90 ± 374.44, and 912.19 ± 586.21, P < 0.0001 by ANOVA, respectively. Our data reflects an increased oxidative stress in the placenta in the early phase of normal pregnancy. As pregnancy progressed, placental antioxidant protective mechanisms increased and lipid peroxidation markers decreased resulting in diminution in oxidative stress. Our findings provide a biochemical support to the concept of a hypoxic environment in early pregnancy. A decrease in placental oxidative stress in the second and third trimesters appears to be a physiological phenomenon of normal pregnancy. Deviations from this physiological phenomenon may result in placental-mediated disorders.

Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids differentially regulate in vitro and ex vivo placental antioxidant capacity

“…11,25 First trimester syncytiotrophoblasts, such as HTR-8 cells, serve as a good in vitro model for our studies, because they are more sensitive to oxygen-mediated damage than late-term trophoblasts, because as normal pregnancies progress, placental antioxidant protective mechanisms increase and lipid peroxidation decreases. 26,27 In our study, we demonstrate that in HTR-8 cells, PA significantly increases lipid peroxidation and decreases antioxidant capacity, whereas LA significantly increases antioxidant capacity and HO-1 production. Therefore, incubating HTR-8 cells with 0.5 mmol L −1 PA increases the sensitivity of these cells to OS and cell death.…”

The influence of oxidative stress and autophagy cross regulation on pregnancy outcome

“…Recent experiments from our laboratory demonstrated that autophagy activity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells increases as gestation progresses (Kanninen et al 2013a). Regarding oxidative stress, Basu et al (2015) investigated oxidative balance in healthy pregnant women throughout gestation by measuring a byproduct of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA), in 201 placentas from women who underwent elective termination of pregnancy between 6-and 26-week gestation and from women with term deliveries. Placental levels of MDA, and hence oxidative stress, were the highest in first trimester placenta and decreased as gestation progressed.…”

Evaluation of Biochemical and Immunohistochemical Placental Antioxidant Status in Normal and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Mothers

“…In a study conducted in placental tissues of normal healthy pregnancies MDA levels were reported to be decreased in the second and third trimester [36]. As a physiological phenomenon there is an increased OS during the first trimester which in course of the pregnancy, in the third trimester, is decreased [37].…”