Postpartum increase of serum thioredoxin concentrations and the relation to CD8 lymphocytes.
BACKGROUND
There are few data on oxidative stresses during and after pregnancy, although aggravation of autoimmune disease is implicated in oxidative stress and occurs frequently in the postpartum period. Thioredoxin (TRX) is a stress-inducible protein, and is used as a good biomarker for oxidative stress. To clarify the changes in the levels of oxidative stress during and after pregnancy, we examined serum TRX levels and the numbers of lymphocyte subsets.


METHODS
We measured serum TRX levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and neutrophils, lymphocytes, and CD4 and CD8 lymphocytes by flow cytometry in peripheral blood from 88 healthy pregnant women, 26 just after delivery women, 77 healthy postpartum women and 19 healthy non-pregnant women.


RESULTS
The serum levels of TRX did not change during pregnancy, but increased in four, seven and 10 months postpartum. Serum TRX levels were correlated with the percentages of neutrophils in normal non-pregnant women and women one month postpartum, and with those of CD8 lymphocytes in early pregnant women and women one and four months postpartum.


CONCLUSIONS
Oxidative stress increased in the postpartum period, and the levels at one and four months postpartum were related to CD8 lymphocytes.
Kuroda
Shoko
S
Department of Biomedical Informatics, Division of Health Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Watanabe
Mikio
M
Santo
Tomoko
T
Shimizuishi
Yu
Y
Takano
Toru
T
Hidaka
Yoh
Y
Kimura
Tadashi
T
Iwatani
Yoshinori
Y
D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000166:cytology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011247:Pregnancy; D013879:Thioredoxins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D013879:Thioredoxins