Oxidative stress and inflammation in pregnancy.

Title
Oxidative stress and inflammation in pregnancy.

Source
Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation. 66(2):121-7, 2006.

Pregnancy is a period when increased oxidative stress can be expected. We have focused especially on oxidative stress and inflammation in the period of pregnancy, when prenatal screening is usually performed. We determined advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), C-reactive protein (CRP) and anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) IgG and IgM levels in the serum of 86 pregnant women in the 1st trimester and 102 pregnant women in the 2nd trimester. AOPP levels in the maternal serum of pregnant women were significantly higher in the 1st and 2nd trimesters than they were in that of non-pregnant women.

Maternal serum CRP levels, too, were increased compared with those in non-pregnant women. Just as with AOPPs and CRP, the ACA IgG levels in pregnant women were significantly higher in both trimesters than they were in non-pregnant women. Maternal serum CRP levels correlated positively with AOPPs in the 2nd trimester. The increased levels of AOPPs, CRP and ACA IgG in the 1st and 2nd trimesters may reflect a maternal response to inflammatory and oxidative stress in pregnant women.