Plasma concentrations of carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols in preeclamptic and normotensive pregnant women

This case-control study was conducted in Lima, Peru, from June 1997 through January 1998 to assess whether plasma concentrations of carotenoids (cr-ca rotene, p-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin, beta -cryptoxanthin), ret inol, and tocopherols (a-tocopherol and gamma -tocopherol) are decreased in women with preeclampsia. A total of 125 pregnant women with preeclampsia a nd 179 normotensive pregnant women were included. Plasma concentrations of antioxidants were determined using high performance liquid chromatography. After adjusting for maternal demographic, behavioral, and reproductive char acteristics and total plasma lipid concentrations, the authors found a line ar increase in risk of preeclampsia with increasing concentrations of alpha -tocopherol (odds ratio of the highest quartile = 3.13; 95% confidence int erval: 1.06, 9.23, with the fewest quartile as the reference group; p value of the test of linear trend - 0.040). The risk of preeclampsia decreased a cross increasing quartiles of concentrations for retinol (odds ratio of the highest quartile = 0.32; 95% confidence interval: 0.15, 0.69, with the low est quartile as the reference group; p value of the test of linear trend = 0.001). Some of these results are inconsistent with the prevailing hypothes is that preeclampsia is an antioxidant-deficient state. Preliminary finding s confirm an earlier observation of increased plasma concentrations of alph a -tocopherol among women with preeclampsia as compared with normotensive p regnant women.