Nitric oxide and peroxynitrite platelet levels in women with small-for-gestational-age fetuses

Objective  The placenta produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) including nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) that have pronounced effects on placental function. Excessive ROS production may occur in pathological pregnancies, such as those complicated by small-for-gestational-age (SGA) fetuses.
Design  The aim of the present work was to study NO and ONOO⁻ levels in platelets of pregnant women with SGA fetuses compared with a control group.
Setting and population  The study was performed on 30 pregnant women with SGA fetuses (SGA group) and on 30 healthy pregnant women (appropriate-for-gestational-age [AGA] group) matched for maternal and gestational age. All women included in this study were in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Methods  Platelets were isolated by differential centrifugation. NO metabolites, after enzymatic conversion followed by the Griess reaction, were measured as nitrite by spectrophotometric detection. Peroxynitrite (ONOO⁻) levels were evaluated using the fluorescence probe 2,7-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA).
Main outcome measures  The following determinations were made: platelet nitric oxide and peroxynitrite levels in the SGA group and controls; inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and nitrotyrosine (N-Tyr) expression in the same groups.
Results  Our results show that both platelet NO and ONOO⁻ levels were significantly higher in the SGA group than in the controls.
Conclusion  Increased platelets levels of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite might play a role in the pathophysiology of intrauterine growth restriction. Further investigations are in progress to clarify if these molecules are pathogenetic factors, an epiphenomenon or a pathophysiological marker.