Obesity and oxidative stress: A direct link to preeclampsia?

Overweight is associated with alterations in lipid concentrations and an activation of inflammatory markers and both of these metabolic abnormalities are characteristic of preeclamptic pregnancies before the onset of clinically evident disease. Reactive oxygen species, particularly superoxide anions, evoke endothelial cell activation through many pathways. Markers of lipid peroxidation, including malondialdehyde and 8-epiprostaglandin-F2α, is increased in the plasma of women with preeclampsia, and the low concentrations of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants in the plasma and the placenta further suggest a state of oxidative stress. This review focuses in the relation between maternal obesity, oxidative stress with development of preeclampsia. © 2010 Springer-Verlag.