NORMAL SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE (SOD) GENE IN PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION - IS THE DECREASED SOD ACTIVITY A SECONDARY PHENOMENON

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). A genetic factor is also tho ught to be associated with the disease. The aim of the present study w as to investigate whether decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activit y in PIH resulted from gene abnormalities. Fourteen patients with PIH were enrolled in the study. Normal pregnant women and normal nonpregna nt women served as controls. Genomic DNA and mRNA were isolated from w hite cells and subjected to Southern and Northern blot analysis with a 600 bp CuZn-SOD probe. SOD activity was also determined in the white blood cells and red blood cells. The results showed that SOD activity was significantly reduced in patients with PIH compared to both contro l groups. There were no significant differences in the size of the CuZ n-SOD gene and its expression between the patients with PIH and the co ntrols. This study confirmed that there was a decreased SOD activity i n PIH but revealed neither major structural changes in the genomic DNA nor mRNA size of CuZn-SOD. Our results suggest that the decreased SOD levels in PIH are not due to abnormalities in the CuZn-SOD gene and a re an acquired phenomenon which occurs during the development of the d isease.