[Changes of selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase activity in maternal and cord blood in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the importance of selenium concentration and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP).


METHODS
We measured the selenium concentration by a catalytic polorographic method and GSH-Px activity by a 5,5'-dithionbis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) direct method in maternal and cord blood in 30 pregnant women with and without this disease respectively during the last trimester of pregnancy and post partum and in 30 non-pregnant women.


RESULTS
Sults (1) The selenium concentration and GSH-Px activity in maternal blood were found to be significantly lower in ICP than in women with normal pregnancies during the last trimester [(0.0389 +/- 0.0090) mg/L, (0.0477 +/- 0.0094) mg/L, P < 0.001] [(59.31 +/- 11.42) U, (68.48 +/- 10.47) U, P < 0.002] and post partum [(0.0463 +/- 0.0092) mg/L, (0.0510 +/- 0.0093) mg/L, P < 0.05] [(68.12 +/- 11.46) U, (72.67 +/- 9.83) U, P < 0.05]. (2) The selenium concentration and GSH-Px activity in cord blood was significantly decreased in ICP than that of normal pregnances [(0.0387 +/- 0.0093) mg/L, (0.0461 +/- 0.0089) mg/L, P < 0.005)] [(57.66 +/- 12.55) U, (67.46 +/- 11.93) U, P < 0.005)] (3) The activity of the selenoenzyme GSH-Px had a significant positive correlation with selenium concentration (P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The blood selenium deficiency and reduced GSH-Px activity may lead to the formation of free radicals, which could damage the structure and function of hepatocytes and result in ICP.
Wang
Z
Z
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510120, China.
Liu
S
S
D000328:Adult; D002780:Cholestasis, Intrahepatic / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D012643:Selenium / Q000097:blood*
D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D012643:Selenium