Antioxidant status in hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Pregnancy can be associated with maternal hypertension leading to possible complications in pregnancy outcome. Antioxidant status may be proned to changes during pregnancy with hypertension. The aim of our study was to estimate antioxidant status through high-risk pregnancies.

Seventy-nine pregnant women with high-risk for preeclampsia development were included and 46 of them developed some hypertensive disorder in pregnancy. Superoxide-dismutase (SOD) and paraoxonase 1 (PON1) activities and relative proportion of PON1 activiity on different HDL subclasses were determined in 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd trimester and prior to delivery.

SOD activity was significantly lower in 2^nd and 3^rd trimesters when compared to 1^st trimester (P˂0.001) whereas PON1 activity was significantly higher in 3^rd than in 1^st trimester (P˂0.05) in group of hypertensive women. This group had significantly higher SOD and PON1 activities and relative proportion of PON1 on HDL_3c subclasses in the 1^st trimester, significantly increased PON1 in the 3^rd trimester and prior to delivery and significantly higher PON1 activity on HDL_3c subclasses (P˂0.05) than nonhypertensive group. In 1^st trimester and prior to delivery, total PON1 activity and relative proportion of PON1 on HDL_3c subclasses exhibited significant ability to mark out hypertension in pregnancy (P˂0.05).

SOD activity decreased whereas total PON1 activity increased during pregnancy with hypertension. Pregnant women with hypertension had higher activities of PON1 and SOD and relative proportion of PON1 on HDL_3c subclasses than nonhypertensive ones. PON1 activity and relative proportion of PON1 on HDL_3c subclasses exhibited significant association with hypertension in pregnancy.