The Protein Oxidation-Stimulating Activities in the Uterine Venous, Umbilical Venous, and Umbilical Arterial Plasma of Preeclampsia

Kim, Jae Hoon; Kim, Yoon Ha; Kim, Cheol Hong; Cho, Moon Kyoung; Kim, Ki Min; Park, Soo Young; Song, Tae Bok; Ahn, Bong Whan; Yang, Sung Yeul

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study was performed to compare the prooxidative activity stimulating the protein carbonyl formation by 3rd generation cephalosporin (moxalactam) and amoxacillin in the uterine venous, umbilical venous, and umbilical arterial plasma of preeclampsia with that of normal pregnancy.
METHODS
Lipid peroxide levels in the uterine venous, umbilical venous, and umbilical arterial plasma of normal pregnancy (n=16) and preeclampsia (n=16) were measured by thiobarbituric acid reaction. The basal protein carbonyl contents in the uterine venous, umbilical venous, and umbilical arterial plasma of normal pregnancy (n=16) and preeclampsia (n=16) were determined by the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) method. After plasma of them were mixed and incubated up to 5 hours with 0.2 mL of 1 mM moxalactam or amoxacillin, the protein carbonyl contents in them were measured by DNPH.
RESULTS
Lipid peroxide levels in the uterine venous plasma, umbilical venous plasma, and umbilical arterial plasma of preeclampsia were significantly higher than those of normal pregnancy (3.11+/-1.21 vs. 2.18+/-1.16 nmol/mg protein, p<0.05, 5.85+/-1.67 vs. 3.79+/-1.66 nmol/ mg protein, p<0.01, 6.00+/-1.91 vs. 4.99+/-1.78 nmol/mg protein, p<0.01). Protein carbonyls formation by moxalactam in the uterine venous plasma, umbilical venous plasma, and umbilical arterial plasma of preeclampsia were signigicant higher than those of normal pregnancy (19.69+/-8.43 vs. 10.84+/-3.00 nmol/mg protein, p<0.01, 18.94+/-6.96 vs. 10.63+/-1.81 nmol/mg protein, p<0.01, 14.62+/-5.77 vs. 11.21+/-2.08 nmol/mg protein, p<0.05). There were significant positive correlations between lipid peroxide and moxalactam-induced protein carbonyls levels of the uterine venous plasma, umbilical venous plasma, and umbilical arterial plasma (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that increase in the prooxidative activity stimulating the oxidative modification of proteins in utero-placental unit may be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.