Increased circulating oxidised low-density lipoprotein and antibodies to oxidised low-density lipoprotein in preeclampsia

Enhanced oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia (PE). Circulating oxidised LDL (oxLDL) and antibodies to oxLDL (Ab-oxLDL) have been found to be associated with atherosclerosis. The objectives of this study were to investigate the association of oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL with PE and to assess the association between oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL. The levels of oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay in 78 women with preeclampsia (PE group) and 78 women with normal pregnancy (control group). The PE group had higher oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL levels than the control group (485.1vs.145.9 ng/ml, p < .001) and (578.7 vs 216.2 mU/ml, p < .001), respectively. However, Ab-oxLDL levels were not associated with the levels of oxLDL, age, BMI, gestational age, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in both the groups. In conclusion, our study showed that PE was associated with increased oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL, which may reflect the enhanced oxidative stress in PE. Impact Statement Preeclampsia (PE) is a potentially life-threatening condition and both maternal and foetal complications can develop if it is not monitored appropriately. The pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction in PE is related to the enhanced oxidative stress and oxidation of LDL. However, more studies were required as previous studies had not shown a consistent association of oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL with PE. Our study showed significant association of oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL with PE, indicating that their levels may be reliable indicators of oxidation stress and of the risk of PE. Levels of oxidative stress markers may have implications for clinical practice, such as their association with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), HELLP syndrome or eclampsia, foetal birth weight and premature delivery. Further research is still needed, ideally as a prospective cohort study to investigate the association of oxLDL and Ab-oxLDL with such outcome parameters.