Iron metabolism disorder and oxidative damage levels in placenta are involved in preeclampsia

Abstract

IntroductionTo explore the role of ferritin in placenta, serum and umbilical cord blood of pregnant women and the changes of oxidative stress injury as well as cell apoptosis in placenta in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE).Material and methodsSixty pregnant women with severe PE were assigned into early-onset and late-onset PE group. Another 60 cases of normal late pregnant women with similar gestational weeks were divided into early-onset and late-onset control group. Maternal serum and fetal umbilical cord blood ferritin content was determined by automatic biochemical immunoassay system; mRNA expression levels of ferritin and ferritin heavy chain (FTH) were detected by reverse transcription real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Western Blot was used to detect the relative expression level of ferritin and apoptosis; the contents of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were detected by colorimetry.ResultsSerum uric acid (UA) and creatinine (Cr) levels of PE groups were significantly higher when compared to the controls. The serum ferritin levels in blood sample and umbilical cord blood sample were significantly higher relative to the controls. However, the mRNA and protein levels of ferritin levels in placenta samples were significantly lower compared with the controls. The placental cleaved caspase-3, Bcl-2 levels were significantly lower than the early onset PE group. The levels of GSH-Px and MDA in placenta were significantly higher.ConclusionsThese results may assist understanding the pathogenesis of PE and provide potential biomarkers for diagnosis of PE.