Serum levels of oxidative stress biomarkers in preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. The aim of the present study was to assess serum levels of isoprostane F2α، malondialdehyde and total homocysteine in preeclamptic women compared with normal pregnant women. A cross-sectional study was designed. The patients consisted of 30 preeclamptic women. The normal group consisted of 30 healthy pregnant women. Serum level of malondialdehyde was measured by colorimetric method. Isoprostane F2α and homocysteine levels were assessed using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. A p value less than 0. 05 was considered significant. Serum levels of isoprostane F2α، malondialdehyde and homocysteine were significantly higher in preeclamptic group than in normal pregnant women (p < 0. 05). All of the biomarkers were significantly higher in women with severe preeclampsia than in mild preeclamptic women (p < 0. 05). The findings of the present study suggest that lipid peroxidation caused by oxidative stress might be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.