Assessment of malondialdehyde, glutathione and triglyceride levels in pregnant women with preeclampsia in Calabar, Nigeria

One of the Sustainable Development Goals is to reduce child mortality and to improve maternal health. Preeclampsia has been linked to oxidative stress and dyslipidemia. This study assessed triglyceride, malondialdehyde and glutathione in pregnant women with preeclampsia. This was a case-control study. Serum Triglyceride (TG), Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Glutathione (GSH) levels were assessed in 90 consecutively recruited female subjects comprised of 30 non-pregnant women as controls, 30 normotensive pregnant women and 30 preeclamptic pregnant women. MDA, GSH and TG levels were determined using colorimetric methods. Anthropometric data and blood pressure were determined using standard methods while socio-demographic information was collected using a well structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. MDA and TG levels were significantly higher (p<0.05) in preeclamptic group than the normotensive pregnant and non-pregnant groups. Glutathione levels were significantly lower (p<0.05) in preeclamptic women compared to the normotensive group and the non-pregnant group (18.4±3.83mg/dl). A negative correlation between malondialdehyde and glutathione (r= -0.768, p=0.038) and a positive correlation between malondialdehyde and triglyceride (r= 0.27, p=0.043) were seen in preeclamptic women only. Preeclamptic women in this study had higher triglycerides and malondialdehyde levels and lower glutathione levels when compared with the non-pregnant and normotensive pregnant women. This may increase the risk of oxidative stress in pregnancy.