Women with preeclampsia exposed to air pollution during pregnancy: Relationship between oxidative stress and neonatal disease - Pilot study

Abstract

Oxidative imbalance as a pathophysiological mechanism has been reported as an adverse outcome in pregnant women who develop preeclampsia and in their newborns. Furthermore, emerging evidence suggests the same mechanism by which air pollutants may exert their toxic effects. Therefore, the objective of the study was to evaluate the biomarkers of oxidative stress and their relationship with neonatal disease in premature newborns from mothers with preeclamp- sia exposed to air pollution during pregnancy. The data of air pollutants (PM2.5, PM10 and ozone) were collected at !xed monitoring stations. Oxidative and antioxidant status markers were obtained through special techniques in women with preeclampsia and in umbilical cord blood of their premature newborns. The oxidative stress markers were signi!cantly higher in women with preeclampsia and their newborns who were exposed to higher levels of am- bient air pollutants in the !rst and second trimester of pregnancy. Neonatal diseases are associated with preeclampsia in pregnancies, speci!cally intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). A signi!cant correlation was identi!ed in the levels of prooxidant agents and antioxidant enzyme activity in the presence of neona- tal diseases associated with preeclampsia. There is increased oxidative damage in both the maternal and fetal circula- tion in women who develop preeclampsia exposed to air pollution during pregnancy. Therefore, these pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia have a greater adverse outcome as neonatal disease in the preterm infant.