Assessment of placental oxidative stress in pre-eclampsia.

Objective: To study oxidative stress in placental tissue as well as in serum in pre-eclamptic women.

Methods: Fifty pre-eclamptic cases and fifty normal pregnant women were selected in the study. Thio barbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) was measured as oxidative stress marker and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and GSH (reduced glutathione) were measured for assessment of antioxidant status in placental tissue extract and serum.

Results: TBARS and SOD activity were increased significantly (P < 0.001) in both placental homogenate and serum in pre-eclamptic women. Level of GSH was not altered much.

Conclusion: Placental oxidative stress can be assessed by measuring serum oxidative stress markers and this may help in prevention of further progress of this condition.