Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances as marker of oxidative stress in pregnancies with pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is characterized by increased lipid peroxidation and diminished antioxidant capacity. The aim of the study was to establish concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances as a marker of lipid peroxidation in normal pregnancies and in pregnancies complicated with pre-eclampsia, and to estimate the possibility of using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances as a screening method for development of pre-eclampsia. The study was conducted at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Clinical Centre of Vojvodina. The study included 57 singleton pregnancies, gestation > or = 24 weeks, of which 29 were healthy pregnancies and 28 were with pre-eclampsia, defined as systolic arterial pressure of > or = 90 mmHg, diastolic of > or = 145 mmHg, and 24h proteinuria of > or = 300 mg. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentrations evaluated by malondialdehyde equivalent standards (OxiSelect TBARS Assay Kit (malondialdehyde Quantitation), Cell Biolabs' OxiSelect) showed that oxidative stress was more evident in the group with pre-eclampsia, though not statistically significant (p = 0.107). There was no correlation ofthiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels with gestation in either group. The differences between the level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substance concentrations in pre-eclampsia and healthy pregnancies indicate the possibility of using thiobarbituric acid reactive substances as a screening tool for the development of pre-eclampsia. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed in order to come to final conclusions.