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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
A Rat Model of Mild Intrauterine Hypoperfusion with Microcoil Stenosis
Published on: January 7, 2018
Nitric oxide and peroxynitrite platelet levels in women with small-for-gestational-age fetuses
L Nanetti1, S R Giannubilo, F Raffaelli
1Institute of Biochemistry, Polytechnical University of Marche, Ancona, Italy.
Objective:
The placenta produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) including nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) that have pronounced effects on placental function. Excessive ROS production may occur in pathological pregnancies, such as those complicated by small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses.
Design:
The aim of the present work was to study NO and ONOO(-) levels in platelets of pregnant women with SGA fetuses compared with a control group.
Setting And Population:
The study was performed on 30 pregnant women with SGA fetuses (SGA group) and on 30 healthy pregnant women (appropriate-for-gestational-age [AGA] group) matched for maternal and gestational age. All women included in this study were in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Methods:
Platelets were isolated by differential centrifugation. NO metabolites, after enzymatic conversion followed by the Griess reaction, were measured as nitrite by spectrophotometric detection. Peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)) levels were evaluated using the fluorescence probe 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA).
Main Outcome Measures:
The following determinations were made: platelet nitric oxide and peroxynitrite levels in the SGA group and controls; inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitrotyrosine (N-Tyr) expression in the same groups.
Results:
Our results show that both platelet NO and ONOO(-) levels were significantly higher in the SGA group than in the controls.
Conclusion:
Increased platelets levels of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite might play a role in the pathophysiology of intrauterine growth restriction. Further investigations are in progress to clarify if these molecules are pathogenetic factors, an epiphenomenon or a pathophysiological marker.
