Oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation and premature placental senescence in preeclampsia

Accelerated placental senescence is associated with preeclampsia (PE) and other pregnancy complications. It is characterized by an accelerated decline in placental function due to the accumulation of senescence patterns such as telomere shortening, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damages, increased expression of phosphorylated (serine-139) histone γ-H2AX, a sensitive marker of double-stranded DNA breaks, accumulation of cross-linked ubiquitinated proteins and sirtuin inhibition. Among the lipid oxidation products generated by the peroxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, aldehydes such as acrolein, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-oxo-2-nonenal, are present in the blood and placenta from PE-affected women and could contribute to PE pathogenesis and accelerated placental aging. In this review we summarize the current knowledge on premature placental senescence and the role of oxidative stress and lipid oxidation-derived aldehydes in this process, as well as their links with PE pathogenesis. The interest of developing (or not) new therapeutic strategies targeting lipid peroxidation is discussed, the objective being a better understanding of accelerated placental aging in PE pathophysiology, and the prevention of PE bad outcomes.