Embryopathy in experimental diabetic gestation: assessment of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence.

Embryopathy in experimental diabetic gestation: assessment of oxidative stress and antioxidant defence. Br J Biomed Sci. 2005 Jan;62(2):71-76 Authors: El-Bassiouni EA, Helmy MH, Rawash A, El-Zoghby SM, El-Nabi Kamel A, Abou Rayah N Abstract Maternal diabetes is associated with an increased rate of congenital fetal anomaly. In the present study, diabetes was induced by streptozotocin in female rats one week prior to conception and the embryos were examined during organogenesis. Experimental diabetes is associated with over-production of free radicals and disturbed antioxidant defence, particularly in malformed embryos. Oxidative stress is demonstrated by increased MDA accumulation and reduced glutathione levels. Despite large differences in the reduced/oxidised glutathione ratios during organogenesis in the control, diabetic non-malformed and malformed embryo groups, the half-cell redox potential was constant for each group during the experimental period. Calculated redox potentials indicated that although embryo cells from the control and diabetic mother groups were of the same chronological age, the stages of development were different. Increased oxidative stress in rat embryos was associated with increased glutathione peroxidases and glutathione-S-transferase activity. This may, in part, provide an explanation for the observed accumulation of oxidised glutathione in malformed embryos. Moreover, decreased levels of vitamin C and sel...
Source: British Journal of Biomedical Science - Category: Laboratory Medicine Tags: Br J Biomed Sci Source Type: research