ASTHMATIC PREGNANT FEMALES

Objectives: To evaluate the expression of MMPs and oxidative stress markers inpregnant Asthmatic females. Period: July 2015 to Dec 2015. Design: Cross sectional. Setting:Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Background: Maternal asthma throughout pregnancy unfavorablyalters pregnancy outcomes but evaluation of the causes, and the ability to assess interventions,is restricted having inadequate knowledge of complex interactions between underlyinginflammation, oxidativestress and structural changes in asthmatic airways. Methods: Total 100patients were included in study. Fifty ascontrols. Clinically diagnosed asthmatic pregnant femalescoming to GyneaUnit of Jinnah hospital were included.Females on any medication or sufferingfrom any congenital disease were excluded out of the current study. Matrix metalloproteinase’s,TNF-α, 8OHdG, 4-HNE and Isoprostanes are measured by ELISA. Results: Results shows thatMMP- 7 and MMP-9 have positive correlation with proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α but MMP-8 have significantly positive correlation with it (TNF-α Vs. MMP-8 r=0.946. On the other handMMP-7 has significant correlation besides other MMPS (MMP-7 Vs.8OHdG r=0.719) indicatinga positive correlation between proteinases and marker of DNA damage indicating epithelialshedding in case of Asthma. Conclusion: The sole objective of effective asthma managementin pregnancy is to prevent exacerbations. Antioxidants should be added in diet so to ovoidoxidative stress caused to airway epithelial and structural cells and MMP inhibitors may be usedas therapeutic agents as well as measuring MMP levels as diagnostic or prognostic markers.