RESEARCH ARTICLE
Transfer Proteins, Lipoprotein Remodeling, and Antioxidant Action on Pregnant Women: Comparison from the First to the Third Trimester of Gestation
Ana Paula C. Santos1, 2, Adriano C. de Alcântara3, Milena B. P. Soares2, 3, Débora F. Deus4, Fatima R. Freitas4, Fabio D. Couto5, Nadielle S. Bidu1, 2, Daniele Brustolim1, 7, Raul C. Maranhão4, 6, Ricardo D. Couto1, 2, 3, 7, *
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2023Volume: 13
E-location ID: e18753183266211
Publisher ID: e18753183266211
DOI: 10.2174/0118753183266211231118141751
Article History:
Received Date: 10/07/2023Revision Received Date: 06/09/2023
Acceptance Date: 20/09/2023
Electronic publication date: 30/11/2023
Collection year: 2023
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Introduction:
During pregnancy, maternal lipid metabolism undergoes several transformations originated by hormonal changes. There are two distinct phases: initial and late, finally driven to hypertriglyceridemia. Maternal hyperlipidemia, especially hypertriglyceridemia, is associated with an increased hepatic very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) synthesis stimulated by high estrogen levels during gestation.
Objectives:
This study aimed to evaluate the action of possible lipoproteins remodeling modulators, such as phospholipid and cholesteryl-ester transfer proteins (PLTP and CETP), paraoxonase-1 (PON-1), and apolipoproteins (apo), during gestation.
Methods:
An observational prospective cohort study composed of 40 pregnant women was conducted. Blood samples were collected in two moments: at the first and third trimesters of gestation, followed by the biochemical determination of apo A-I, apo B, lipid profile, PON-1, PLTP and CETP activities, and HDL particle size.
Results:
The majority of pregnant women in the third trimester showed dyslipidemia, mainly hypertriglyceridemia. In the third trimester of gestation, we observed an increase in CETP activity (70.5 ± 9.6 pmol/µL/h; p <0.001) and TG/HDL-C ratio (2.7 [2.0-3.8]), but on the other hand, PON-1 activity (65.4 [46.5-105] nMol of p-nitrophenol/min/mL) decreased. High-density level lipoprotein (HDL) particle size and PLTP activity did not differ in the two studied moments. The serum triglyceride concentration and CETP activity showed a positive linear correlation in the first trimester of gestation (r2=0.65, p<0.001).
Conclusion:
Data suggest that the CETP activity, antioxidant profile, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) remodeling are modified by physiological metabolic changes during an uncomplicated gestational period.
