Oxidative stress is a critical factor in the onset of gestational diabetes and its associated complication, pre-eclampsia. This study aimed to evaluate (1) reactive oxygen species, reactive nitrogen species, and superoxide radical levels as indicators of oxidative stress, (2) lipid and protein oxidation, (3) antioxidant enzyme activity, and (4) cytokine production in pregnant women with gestational diabetes, as well as those with both gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia, comparing these with biomarkers of gestational diabetes mellitus. The study categorized pregnant patients with gestational diabetes mellitus into two groups based on the presence of new-onset hypertension, measured twice every four hours, and a 24 h urine protein test showing 300 mg/day or ≥1+ proteinuria detected via a visual dipstick at ≥20 weeks of gestation. These groups were compared with normotensive pregnant patients. The findings revealed that patients with both gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia exhibited significantly elevated levels of reactive oxygen species, cytokine production, and lipid and protein oxidation end products compared to normotensive pregnant women. Additionally, these patients showed reduced nitric oxide (•NO) levels, impaired NO synthase systems (eNOS and iNOS), and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities (p < 0.05). These results indicate that patients with gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia are unable to counteract oxidative stress effectively. The study underscores the compromised oxidative status as a contributing factor to these complications. The findings provide insights into the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes and the subsequent pre-eclampsia, the role of oxidative stress, and the resulting complications. Measuring oxidative stress levels and inflammatory biomarkers could help in the early detection and prediction of gestational-diabetes-related complications in pregnant women.
The present study aimed to investigate and compare oxidative stress biomarkers and antioxidant enzyme activity in the serum of women at risk of developing preeclampsia (PE) to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes through early intervention. Changes in soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and placental growth factor (PlGF) levels were measured between 11 and 13 gestational weeks (gw.) before the onset of preeclampsia and its associated complications. This study evaluated the feasibility of the sFlt-1/PlGF biomarker ratio in predicting preeclampsia and adverse pregnancy outcomes, with the goal of preventive therapy with acetylsalicylic acid (150 mg daily), with acetylsalicylic acid (75 mg daily) and Clampsilin. For this purpose, the following were evaluated: (1) the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) as parameters of oxidative stress; (2) lipid oxidation; (3) antioxidant enzyme activity; and (4) cytokine production. Analysis of the results showed that pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia had significantly higher levels of ROS, lipid oxidation, and superoxide anion radical (•O2−) levels compared to normal pregnancies. In PE, depleted levels of nitric oxide (NO), impaired NO synthase system (NOS), and reduced antioxidant enzyme activity (p < 0.03) suggest that PE patients cannot compensate for oxidative stress (OS). In conclusion, oxidative stress in PE plays a key role, which arises from placental problems and affects both mother and baby. The groups with acetylsalicylic acid therapy (150 mg and 75 mg) were better affected compared to those on Clampsillin.