title: Serum from healthy pregnant women reduces oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.
abstract: This study was conducted to compare the effects of serum from healthy pregnant women and that from pregnant women with pre-eclampsia on oxidative stress in endothelial cells in culture. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were incubated with serum from 18 pre-eclamptic, 18 healthy pregnant and 18 healthy non-pregnant women for 24 h. The levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxides (LPOs) were measured in endothelial cell lysates. Measurement of malondialdehyde in combination with 4-hydroxyalkenals has been used as an indicator of LPOs. Serum from healthy pregnant women decreased significantly the LPO content in HUVECs in comparison with serum from pre-eclamptic women and healthy non-pregnant women (30.7+/-6.6 compared with 39.3+/-10.9 and 41.0+/-12.7 pmol/mg of protein respectively; P<0.003 and P<0.01 respectively). No differences in GSH content between the three groups (18.3+/-2.1 nmol/mg of protein for healthy pregnant, 19.2+/-3.3 nmol/mg for pre-eclamptic and 18.3+/-2.0 nmol/mg for healthy non-pregnant women) were found. Thus serum from normal pregnant women contains a factor(s) that decreases oxidative stress in human endothelial cells. This mechanism might be altered in pre-eclampsia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Erlangen/Nuremberg, Universitaetsstrasse 21-23, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. fortunato.scalera@gyn.med.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Fortunato
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scalera
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Dietmar
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schlembach
authors.forename: Ernst
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beinder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008054:Lipid Peroxides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D014471:Umbilical Veins / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008054:Lipid Peroxides; D005978:Glutathione