Placental and Umbilical Cord Blood Oxidative Stress Level and Telomere Homeostasis in Early Onset Severe Preeclampsia

Abstract

Objective Although the etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE) is unknown, evidence suggests that it may be associated with increased oxidative stress. Studies have shown that oxidative stress can affect DNA fragments called telomeres. However, the interactions of PE, oxidative stress, and telomere length are not clearly known. This study aims to evaluate the oxidative/anti-oxidative stress balance in the placenta and umbilical cord and examine the effect of oxidative stress on telomeres.

Materials-Method Cord blood and placental samples were collected from 27 pregnant women with severe PE (28^0/7–33^6/7 gestational weeks) and 53 healthy pregnant women. Telomere length (TL) was measured by real-time PCR in the cord blood and placenta tissue. Total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were measured in the cord blood and placenta tissue using a colorimetric method.

Results No significant differences were found between groups regarding age, BMI, gravida, parity, and newborn gender (p>0.05). Cord blood and placental TL of PE patients were significantly shorter than the control group, while cord blood and placental TAS and TOS levels were higher (p<0.05). The results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the level of placental TOS in PE patients (OR=1.212, 95% CI=1.068–1.375) was an independent risk factor affecting PE.

Conclusion This study found that oxidative stress is an independent risk factor in the development of PE and shortens TL in both placental and umbilical cord blood. Future research on telomere homeostasis may offer a new perspective for the treatment of PE.

Key words

preeclampsia - telomere length - oxidative stress - TAS - TOS

Publication History

Received: 01 February 2022

Accepted after revision: 18 August 2022

Article published online:
10 October 2022

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