Decreased Serum Prolidase Activity and Increased Oxidative Stress in Early Pregnancy Loss

Aims: To compare the levels of serum prolidase activity and oxidative stress markers including total oxidative status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH) and total free sulfhydryl (-SH) in healthy pregnant women without early pregnancy loss (EPL) and women with EPL. Methods: Serum samples were obtained from 45 healthy first-trimester pregnancies and 45 pregnancies complicated with EPL. We have measured serum prolidase activity, TAC, TOS, -SH and LOOH levels spectrophotometrically. Results: Serum prolidase, TAC and -SH levels were significantly lower in the women with EPL than in the women without EPL (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively), whereas TOS and LOOH levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001, p = 0.004, respectively). Prolidase activity was negatively correlated with TOS and LOOH levels (r = -0.299, p = 0.004; r = -0.323, p = 0.002, respectively), while positively correlated with TAC and -SH levels (r = 0.232, p = 0.028, and r = 0.418, p < 0.001, respectively) Conclusion: Findings of this study have shown that serum prolidase activity and oxidative stress are significantly associated with the presence of EPL, and the correlation between serum prolidase activity and the markers of oxidative stress was reflected in increased serum TOS and LOOH levels and decreased serum TAC and -SH levels. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel