title: Signalization of Akt/PKB in the placenta, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of preeclampsia patients.
abstract: Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant cause of fetal and maternal mortality around the world and there is evidence that insulin resistance has been implicated in the pathophysiology of PE. The Akt/PKB pathway is stimulated by insulin and performs several vital functions relative to growth, survival and cellular metabolism.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the basal expression of Akt/PKB, HSP90 expression, proteins that regulate Akt/PKB activity and substrate in the placenta, skeletal muscle and adipocytes of normal and PE parturient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples were collected from 17 normal patients and 17 PE patients, and analyzed by Western blot to quantify the protein expression involved in signaling cascade of Akt/PKB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total Akt/PKB expression for normal placentas was 1.85 (1.07-3.12) and 1.53 (1.27-3.08) in PE (p = 1.00); in the adipose tissue of normal placentas it was 1.10 (0.53-1.73) and 1.66 (0.83-2.00) in PE (p = 0.37).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no difference in the Akt/PKB pathway, in basal state, in placentas and skeletal muscle of normal and PE patients. However, defects in this signaling pathway as pathophysiology of PE cannot be excluded because it is necessary to analyze this pathway during stimulation.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Laboratório de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia Molecular, Centro de Pesquisas, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Bueno
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Orcy
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: Sérgio Hofmeister
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Martins-Costa
authors.forename: José Geraldo Lopes
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Schechinger
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Ilma Simoni
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Brum
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: von Eye Corleta
authors.forename: Edison
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capp
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000201:enzymology*; D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000201:enzymology*; D010920:Placenta / Q000201:enzymology*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000201:enzymology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt