Concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in amniotic fluid and maternal and cord serum in cases of intrauterine growth retardation.

The aim of our investigation was an attempt to determine malondialdehyde concentration (MDA) in amniotic fluid as a biochemical test in prenatal diagnosis. The investigations were carried out in 56 pregnant women and their newborns in whom IUGR was diagnosed clinically. The control group consisted of 35 pregnants who had as uneventful pregnancy and normal labour. Samples of amniotic fluid were taken in the first stage of parturition (dilatation of cervical os 4-5 cm) by vaginal amniocentesis or amniotomy during cesarean section. It was found that during pregnancy complicated by IUGR, the MDA concentration in amniotic fluid was almost three times higher than in normal pregnancy (0.785 mmol/l and 0.268 mmol/l, respectively). These differences are statistically significant at p < 0.001. Thus, determination of MDA can be used as a biochemical test in parental diagnosis of IUGR.