Erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes and plasma antioxidant vitamins in Sudanese women with pre-eclampsia

This case-control study was conducted in Khartoum hospital, Sudan to investigate the levels of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase) in erythrocytes and plasma antioxidant vitamins (retinol and alpha-tocopherol) in Sudanese women with pre-eclampsia (37), in comparison with well-matched pregnant controls women with normal pregnancy (38). Enzymes were measured using ELISA and vitamins were measured using HPLC. There were no significant differences in the levels of these three antioxidant enzymes in pre-eclamptic women compared with the controls. Women with mild pre-eclampsia (diastolic blood pressure, DBP < 110) have slightly higher levels of erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase, and lower levels of catalase and superoxide dismutase compared with women with severe pre-eclampsia (DBP >= 110). A significantly negative correlation was observed between the levels of glutathione peroxidase and DBP, r = -0.371, p = 0.02. There was no significant correlation between catalase (r = -0.033, p = 0.840) or superoxide dismutase levels (r = 0.067, p = 0.6) and DBP. While retinol levels were not different, levels of alpha-tocopherol were significantly higher in women with pre-eclampsia than the control group, p = 0.026. The plasma levels of both vitamins were not statistically significantly different when women with mild and severe pre-eclampsia were compared.