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Plasma thiol status in preeclampsia
M T Raijmakers1, P L Zusterzeel, E A Steegers
1Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospital St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Plasma thiol levels, including homocysteine and cysteine, are altered in preeclampsia, with lower glutathione potentially impacting the condition. This study investigated these changes in pregnant women.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Obstetrics
- Pathophysiology
Background:
- Plasma thiol homeostasis is crucial during pregnancy.
- Preeclampsia is associated with oxidative stress and altered metabolic pathways.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate plasma thiol levels in normal pregnancy, preeclampsia, and nonpregnant states.
- To elucidate the role of thiols, particularly glutathione, in preeclampsia pathophysiology.
Main Methods:
- Quantification of plasma cysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, homocysteine, cysteinylglycine, and glutathione.
- Comparison of thiol levels across nonpregnant women, normotensive pregnant women, and women with preeclampsia.
Main Results:
- Normotensive pregnant women showed lower plasma thiol levels than nonpregnant controls.
- Women with preeclampsia had higher plasma cysteine and homocysteine levels compared to pregnant controls.
- Glutathione levels were significantly lower in women with preeclampsia versus pregnant controls.
Conclusions:
- In preeclampsia, homocysteine and cysteine levels normalize to nonpregnant levels, while glutathione decreases.
- Elevated homocysteine and cysteine, coupled with reduced glutathione, suggest increased glutathione utilization or impaired synthesis in preeclampsia.
- These thiol alterations may play a significant role in the pathophysiology of preeclampsia.
Objective:
To measure plasma thiol levels in women with normal pregnancies, women with preeclampsia, and nonpregnant controls to define plasma thiol's effect on glutathione homeostasis and pathophysiology of preeclampsia.
Methods:
Total plasma cysteine, gamma-glutamylcysteine, homocysteine, cysteinylglycine, and glutathione levels were measured in ten nonpregnant women, ten women with normotensive pregnancies, and 20 women with preeclampsia at delivery.
Results:
Median total plasma levels of all thiols in normotensive pregnant women were significantly lower than in nonpregnant women. Median total plasma cysteine and homocysteine levels in women with preeclampsia were significantly higher compared with pregnant controls (254 versus 190 micromol/L, P < .001; and 13.3 versus 8.4 micromol/L, P < .02, respectively), whereas glutathione levels were significantly lower in women with preeclampsia compared with those in pregnant controls (5.1 versus 6.3 micromol/L, P < .05).
Conclusion:
In women with preeclampsia, homocysteine and cysteine levels, which are lowered in normotensive pregnancy, were comparable to levels in nonpregnant women, whereas glutathione levels were lower. Those results suggest that in women with preeclampsia, glutathione use is higher or its synthesis is disturbed. Therefore, glutathione might affect pathophysiology of preeclampsia.