Title:Oxidative Stress, Preeclampsia and Cardiovascular Disease
VOLUME: 8 ISSUE: 2
Author(s):S. Iliadis and G. Papageorgiou
Affiliation:Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, A.U.Th. 541 24, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Keywords:Cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, oxidative stress, preeclampsia, pregnancy, cytochrome P450
Abstract:Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, such as preeclampsia/eclampsia, gestational hypertension and chronic
hypertension, account for serious adverse outcome for mother and fetus. Oxidative stress, defined as the imbalance
between oxidative and antioxidant mechanisms, is present in multiple disorders, as well as in pregnancy. It is
characterized by increased free radical generation, affecting all macromolecules. Pathophysiology of pregnancies
complicated with hypertension is characterized by more severe oxidative stress and by endothelial dysfunction.
Preeclampsia and cardiovascular diseases seem to share common pathophysiology, such as dyslipidemia, oxidative stress,
insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction.
