Related Experiment Videos
Maternal 27-hydroxycholesterol concentrations during the course of pregnancy and in pregnancy pathologies
Brigitte Sophia Winkler1, Ulrich Pecks2,3, Laila Najjari2
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital of RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. bwinkler@ukaachen.de.
Insights
Oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) levels increase in early pregnancy, playing a compensatory role in cholesterol homeostasis. Pregnancy pathologies did not alter the 27-OHC/cholesterol ratio, suggesting limited placental or hepatic involvement in its regulation.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Reproductive Medicine
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) is crucial for cholesterol homeostasis.
- Pregnancy complications like preeclampsia and HELLP syndrome are associated with lipid metabolism disturbances.
- This study investigates gestational regulation of 27-OHC and its levels in pregnancy-related diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the gestational regulation of 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC).
- To assess 27-OHC levels in pregnancy pathologies.
- To determine the role of placental and hepatic diseases in 27-OHC dysregulation during pregnancy.
Main Methods:
- 27-OHC and cholesterol concentrations were measured using gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).
- A longitudinal cohort of healthy pregnant women (n=33) was analyzed across three trimesters and post-partum.
- A cross-sectional cohort compared patients with pregnancy pathologies (IUGR, PE, HELLP, ICP) to matched controls.
Main Results:
- 27-OHC levels increased in the first trimester, despite lower total cholesterol (TC).
- The 27-OHC/TC ratio decreased from the first to the second trimester and remained stable thereafter.
- No significant differences in 27-OHC levels or ratio were observed between pregnancy pathologies and controls.
Conclusions:
- 27-OHC may compensate for cholesterol metabolism changes in early pregnancy.
- The stable 27-OHC/TC ratio in pregnancy pathologies suggests the placenta and liver are not primary regulators of 27-OHC metabolism.
- These findings offer insights into lipid metabolism regulation during pregnancy and associated complications.
Background:
The oxysterol 27-hydroxycholesterol (27-OHC) plays an important role in the regulation of cholesterol homeostasis. Pregnancy pathologies like preeclampsia (PE), HELLP-syndrome (HELLP), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and intrahepatic cholestasis in pregnancy (ICP) are linked to disturbances in lipid metabolism. In the present study, we hypothesized a specific gestational regulation of 27-OHC and compromised 27-OHC levels due to placental and hepatic diseases in pregnancy resulting in a dysregulation of lipid metabolism.
Methods:
The 27-OHC was measured by gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and related to cholesterol concentrations. In the longitudinal cohort, a complete set of samples of healthy patients (n = 33) obtained at three different time points throughout gestation and once post-partum was analyzed. In the cross sectional cohort, patients with pregnancy pathologies (IUGR n = 14, PE n = 14, HELLP n = 7, ICP n = 7) were matched to a control group (CTRL) of equal gestational ages.
Results:
The 27-OHC levels already increased in the first trimester despite lower TC concentrations (p < 0.05). During the course of pregnancy, a subtle rise in 27-OHC concentrations results in an overall decrease of 27-OHC/TC ratio in between the first (p < 0.05) and second trimester. The ratio remains stable thereafter including the post-partum period. No significant differences have been observed in pregnancy pathologies as compared to the CTRL group.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, 27-OHC may have a compensatory role in cholesterol metabolism early in pregnancy. The conserved 27-OHC/TC ratio in pregnancy pathologies suggest that neither the placenta nor the liver is majorly involved in the regulation of 27-OHC metabolism.