Study of glutathione, glutathione reductase, glutathione peroxidase as antioxidant system during pregnancy

Abstract

Background: The glutathione system, consisting of glutathione, glutathione reductase, and glutathione peroxidase, plays a significant role in pregnancy by acting as an antioxidant. This article aimed to measure glutathione, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase in pregnant woman during their first, second and third trimesters as antioxidant and malondialdehyde (MDA) as parameter on oxidative stress. compared it with non-pregnant women. So, estimation of oxidant status can predict.

Methods: This study includes 120 samples; ninety of them are from pregnant women, divided into three groups based on the term of pregnancy., the first trimester (n=30), from (1-12 week), and the second trimester (n=30) from (13-27 week) and third trimester from (28-40 week) (n=30). For comparison, 30 non-pregnant women involved as the control group. The parameters that used to estimate antioxidant levels in serum were glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and MDA   to estimate oxidant levels.

Result: The current study shows there was a significant difference in serum glutathione levels in the first, second and third trimester (sub groups) when compared to control group (48.21 ±1.13 b pg./ml), (34.01 ±1.02 c pg./mL), (9.76 ±0.34 d pg./mL) vs. (75.24 ±1.29 a pg./mL), (P≤0.01).

Conclusion: The decrease in antioxidant levels and increase in MDA level lead us to conclude that pregnancy as a situation produces huge amount of oxidant so reduce capability of body to overcome its effect leading to oxidative stress. based on that pregnant woman need to surg of antioxidants as supplement in food or food fortified by antioxidants.