Placental tissue cyclo-oxygenase 1 and 2 in pre-eclamptic and normal pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the activities of the 2 isoforms of prostaglandin synthetic enzyme cyclo-oxygenase (COX), COX-1 and COX-2, in the placental tissue of women with pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnant women. The relationship between placental lipid peroxidation and the activities of COX-1 and COX-2 was also investigated.


METHODS
Tissue specimens were obtained from pre-eclamptic women (20 had severe pre-eclampsia and 38 had mild pre-eclampsia) and 27 healthy pregnant women who underwent cesarean section before the onset of labor. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and COX-1 and COX-2 activities were measured in placental tissue homogenates.


RESULTS
Mean activities for COX-1 and COX-2 were significantly lower in women with severe pre-eclampsia than in healthy controls (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). COX-1 and COX-2 activities were also lower in women with mild pre-eclampsia than in healthy controls, but the difference was of borderline significance (P=0.049 and P=0.059, respectively). The mean placental MDA level was significantly higher in pregnant women with severe and mild pre-eclampsia than in healthy pregnant women (P<0.01 for both). The correlation analysis showed significant negative correlations between MDA and COX-1 (r=-0.44, P<0.001) and MDA and COX-2 (r=-0.45, P<0.001) in the placental tissue of women with pre-eclampsia.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that COX-1 and COX-2 activities are decreased in the placental tissue of women with pre-eclampsia, probably by oxidative stress.
Börekçi
B
B
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
Aksoy
H
H
Toker
A
A
Ozkan
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000737:chemistry*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy
D008565:Membrane Proteins; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1; D051546:Cyclooxygenase 2; C496511:PTGS1 protein, human; C496540:PTGS2 protein, human