Effects of magnesium sulfate on lipid peroxidation and blood pressure regulators in preeclampsia.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the status of lipid peroxidation and serum levels of several vasoactive substances in preeclamptic (PE) pregnant women before and during treatment with magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)).

DESIGN AND METHODS

The study population included 16 PE women. Circulating levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), endothelin 1 (ET-1), nitric oxide (NO) metabolites, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) were measured before (at admission) and during MgSO(4) treatment (at delivery and 24 h postpartum).

RESULTS

At admission systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 157 +/- 3 mm Hg and 106 +/- 2 mm Hg, respectively, and decreased significantly during treatment at delivery and 24 h postpartum (P < 0.0001). Before treatment, serum MDA concentrations were 0.383 +/- 0.037 micromol/L, and decreased significantly during MgSO(4) administration at delivery and 24 h postpartum (P < 0.0001). In contrast, serum ET-1 levels at 24 h postpartum were significantly higher as compared with those observed before treatment (79 +/- 3 versus 65 +/- 2 pg/mL, P = 0.002). Serum NO metabolite concentrations were 26 +/- 3 micromol/L, and no significant changes were observed during treatment. Serum levels of CGRP were 50 +/- 3 pg/mL at admission, and increased significantly at partum (P < 0.001). Serum ET-1 correlated negatively with NO metabolites before treatment (r = -0.69, P = 0.002), but not during treatment. In contrast, ET-1 correlated positively with serum CGRP levels during treatment (r = 0.73, P = 0.002 and r = 0.71, P = 0.002, at delivery and 24 h postpartum, respectively), but not before treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that MgSO(4) administration to PE pregnant women induced significant changes in lipid peroxidation, production of ET-1 and CGRP.