Plasma, urinary, and salivary 8-epi-prostaglandin f2alpha levels in normotensive and preeclamptic pregnancies.

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to measure and compare plasma, urinary, and salivary concentrations of 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-isoprostane) in women with normotensive pregnancies and the respective concentrations in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia.

STUDY DESIGN: Plasma, urinary, and salivary 8-isoprostane levels were measured in pregnant women with preeclampsia (n = 40), normotensive pregnant women (n = 20), and nonpregnant women (n = 10). One-way analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences.

RESULTS: Plasma free 8-isoprostane concentrations were increased in women with severe preeclampsia (342 +/- 50 pg/mL), in comparison with nonpregnant women (129 +/- 17 pg/mL) and normotensive pregnant women (150 +/- 11 pg/mL; P =.003, and.0001, respectively). Urinary excretion of 8-isoprostane was slightly but not significantly decreased in preeclampsia (1200 +/- 227 pg/mL), in comparison with urinary excretion in nonpregnant women (1625 +/- 364 pg/mL) and normotensive pregnant women (2149 +/- 432 pg/mL). Salivary concentrations of 8-isoprostane were increased in normotensive women (496 +/- 113 pg/mL), in comparison with nonpregnant women (150 +/- 27 pg/mL) but were not related to preeclampsia (419 +/- 96 pg/mL; P
CONCLUSION: Free 8-isoprostane concentrations are increased in the plasma of women with severe preeclampsia. Further studies are warranted to determine whether such increases are caused by an increase in phospholipase A(2) activity, or by lipid peroxidation, or by a decrease in renal excretion.