Placental lipid peroxides and thromboxane are increased and prostacyclin is decreased in women with preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
There is an imbalance of increased thromboxane and decreased prostacyclin in placentas of women with preeclampsia, but this may not be the only imbalance. There is also an abnormal increase in serum lipid peroxides in preeclamptic women. Lipid peroxides are toxic compounds that damage cells and inhibit prostacyclin synthesis. The following study examined lipid peroxides to determine if they were also increased in placentas of preeclamptic women.


METHODS
Placental tissue for nine normal and eight preeclamptic women were frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately after delivery. Frozen tissue samples (1 gm) were homogenized and analyzed for lipid peroxides by malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide equivalents and for thromboxane and prostacyclin by radioimmunoassay of their stable metabolites, thromboxane B2 and 6-keto prostaglandin F1 alpha.


RESULTS
Lipid peroxides were significantly higher in preeclamptic placentas than in normal placentas by both analytic methods (49 +/- 5 vs 31 +/- 1 nmol/gm for malondialdehyde and 5.3 +/- 0.3 vs. 3.2 +/- 0.3 mumol/gm for hydrogen peroxide equivalent; mean +/- SE; p < 0.01, respectively). Thromboxane was significantly higher and prostacyclin significantly lower in preeclamptic placentas than in normal placentas (213 +/- 23 vs 158 +/- 14 ng/gm for thromboxane and 24 +/- 3 vs 53 +/- 7 ng/gm for prostacyclin, p < 0.05). The thromboxane/prostacyclin and lipid peroxides/prostacyclin ratios were threefold higher in preeclamptic placentas than in normal placentas.


CONCLUSIONS
Placental levels of both lipid peroxides and thromboxane are increased and prostacyclin decreased in preeclampsia. We speculate that abnormally increased levels of lipid peroxides in preeclamptic placentas may be a cause of decreased prostacyclin.
Wang
Y
Y
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond 23298-0034.
Walsh
S W
SW
Kay
H H
HH
D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000378:metabolism*; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000378:metabolism*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D013929:Thromboxane B2 / Q000378:metabolism*
D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013929:Thromboxane B2; D015121:6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha; D011464:Epoprostenol