Lipid hydroperoxides and free radical scavenging enzyme activities in preeclampsia and HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome: no evidence for circulating primary products of lipid peroxidation.
OBJECTIVE
Preeclampsia is reportedly accompanied by increased plasma lipid peroxidation. However, to date the assays that have been applied to measure lipid peroxides have been relatively nonspecific. A highly specific high-performance lipid chromatographic-chemiluminescence technique was used here to measure lipid hydroperoxides in plasma and red blood cells of patients with preeclampsia and HELLP (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count) syndrome.


METHODS
Lipid peroxidation products, both lipid hydroperoxides and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and free radical scavenging enzyme activities were measured in either plasma or erythrocytes of patients with normal pregnancies (n = 36), preeclampsia (n = 28), or HELLP syndrome (n = 10).


RESULTS
Whereas lipid hydroperoxides were undetectable (<0.02 micromol/L), plasma TBARS and glutathione peroxidase activity in plasma and erythrocytes were significantly increased in patients with HELLP syndrome. There were no differences in glutathione transferase and reductase activities or superoxide dismutase activity between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We were unable to corroborate results of studies that suggested that increased TBARS are representative of circulating plasma lipid hydroperoxides in preeclampsia. However, elevated glutathione peroxidase activity and TBARS are in line with increased oxidative stress in preeclampsia.
Diedrich
F
F
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. falkod@itsa.ucsf.edu
Renner
A
A
Rath
W
W
Kuhn
W
W
Wieland
E
E
D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000097:blood; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000097:blood; D017359:HELLP Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000097:blood*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000032:analysis
D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D005982:Glutathione Transferase