"Role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant status in pathogenesis of Pre -eclampsia."

Introduction: In India, the incidence of pre-eclampsia is reported to be 8-10% of the pregnancies The present study was planned to determine the role of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant function in the development of pre-eclampsia. Material & Methods : The study comprised of 30 normal pregnant women and 30 pre-eclamptic women in their third trimester of pregnancy. The following estimations were done: Serum Malondialdehyde (MDA), Serum Vitamin E. Results : The levels of serum MDA were significantly increased in cases as compared to normal pregnant women and vitamin E levels were significantly decreased in cases as compared to controls. Conlcusion: Increased levels of lipid peroxidation product(MDA) and decreased levels of antioxidant (Vitamin E) in women with pre- eclampsia suggest that oxidative stress play a key role in the genesis of endothelial dysfunction and expression of pre-eclampsia.