Comparison of Lipid Peroxidation and Anti-Oxidant Ac-tivities in Pre-Eclamptic & Normal Pregnancies in Nigerian Population

Purpose: To compare the serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant status in women with preeclampsia and normal pregnancy in our environment. Materials & Methods: This was a 3-year, cross-sectional, case control study of 100 preeclamptic and 200 normotensive pregnant women at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by our Institutional Ethical Review Committee and all participants gave their consent. The fasting serum of recruited patients were analysed for Malondialdehyde (MDA) with rapid, sensitive and specific Thiobarbituric Acid (TBA) assay, while the Total Antioxidant status (TAS) was determined using the capacity of the biological fluids to inhibit the production of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) from sodium benzoate under the influence of the free oxygen radicals derived from Fenton’s reaction. Results: The mean serum MDA was significantly higher in the preeclamptic group (2.96 nmol/ mL) than the value recorded (1.23 nmol/mL) in the control group (P = 0.0001). Conversely, significantly lower mean TAS (0.46 nmol/mL vs 0.62 nmol/mL) was noticed in the preeclamptic group (P = 0.0001). Conclusion: The study showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation and failure of compensatory antioxidant functions in preeclamptic pregnant Nigerian women.