Expression of advanced glycation end products in placenta and concentration in maternal and umbilical serum in...

To study the function of free fatty acid (FFA) in maternal serum and advanced glycation end products (AGE) in maternal serum, umbilical cord blood and in the placenta of women with pre-eclampsia.

Sixty women with pre-eclampsia and 60 normal pregnant women as controls participated in this study. Women with pre-eclampsia were divided into an early-onset group and late-onset group, with 30 normal pregnant women as the early control group and 30 as the late control group. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure AGE in maternal serum and umbilical cord blood. Western blotting was performed to analyze AGE in the placenta. Improved copper agent colorimetry was performed to measure FFA in maternal serum.

Mean AGE in maternal serum in the early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups was significantly higher than in the control groups. Mean concentration of umbilical cord blood AGE was significantly higher in the early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups when compared with the control groups. On western blot the level of placental AGE in the early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups was significantly higher than in normal placenta. Serum FFA in the early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups was higher than in healthy pregnant women. Maternal serum FFA in the early-onset and late-onset pre-eclampsia groups correlated positively with maternal serum AGE (r = 0.764 and r = 0.774, P < 0.05).

AGE and FFA, which are upregulated in pre-eclampsia, are likely to be involved in pre-eclampsia through some common mechanism.