The Change of Glutathione Content in the Placenta of Patients with Pregnancy-induced Hypertension.

Han, Sei Jun; Kim, Wang Soo

Original Article

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 1997;40(9):1871-1880.
Published online January 1, 2001.

The Change of Glutathione Content in the Placenta of Patients with Pregnancy-induced Hypertension.

Sei Jun Han, Wang Soo Kim

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Kwang-Ju, Korea.

Abstract

Glutathione has a key role in several detoxification reactions and in the protection against injury caused by reactive oxygens. Pregnancy-induced hypertension(PIH) is associated with endothelial cell dysfunction. Such dysfunction could be caused by oxidative stress. There is evidence of increased activity of free radicals in PIH, but little is known about the part played by changes in specific antioxidants. In this study, the changes of glutathione levels were investigated in blood of patients with PIH, and cord blood of these patients was also investigated. The glutathione levels in cord blood of neonates from hypertensive pregnant women were significantly higher than in cord blood from normotensive pregnant women. The changes of gamma-glutamuylcysteine synthetase and of glutathione s-transferase in placenta were not significant, but gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase activity increased significantly in placenta of hypertensive pregnant women. These results suggest that the increased glutathione in cord blood of patients with PIH may be due to increased glutathione interorgan transport resulting from incerased activity of the placenta gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.

Key Words: PIH, Placenta, Blood, Glutathion, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase