Ultrasonic umbilical artery flow features of fetal intrauterine hypoxia and their correlation with oxidative stress injury and placental cell apoptosis

• Main Authors: Wei Yin, Li-Ping Fan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Editorial Board of Journal of Hainan Medical University 2018-03-01
• Series: Journal of Hainan Medical University
• Subjects: Fetal intrauterine hypoxia; Umbilical cord blood; Ultrasound; Oxidative stress; Apoptosis
• Online Access: http://www.hnykdxxb.com/PDF/201803/10.pdf

Objective: To study the ultrasonic umbilical artery flow features of fetal intrauterine hypoxia and their correlation with oxidative stress injury and placental cell apoptosis. Methods: Pregnant women with fetal intrauterine hypoxia between January 2016 and October 2017 were selected as pathology group and healthy pregnant women during the same period were selected as control group. The pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of umbilical artery were evaluated by ultrasound in the course of pregnancy, and the contents of oxidative stress indexes in umbilical cord blood as well as the expression of oxidative stress genes and apoptosis genes in placenta were determined after delivery. Results: The umbilical artery PI and RI of pathology group were higher than those of control group at 31-36 weeks and 37-41 weeks of gestation; MDA and AOPP contents in umbilical cord blood as well as Nrf2, ARE, HO-1, NOQ1, Caspase-3, Beclin-1 and LC3-II mRNA expression in placenta were significantly higher than those of control group whereas GSH-Px and SOD contents in umbilical cord blood as well as Keap1, Survivin and XIAP mRNA expression in placenta were significantly lower than those of control group. The umbilical artery PI and RI levels of pathology group were positively correlated with MDA and AOPP contents in umbilical cord blood as well as Nrf2, ARE, HO-1, NOQ1, Caspase-3, Beclin-1 and LC3-II mRNA expression in placenta, and negatively correlated with GSH-Px and SOD contents in umbilical cord blood as well as Keap1, Survivin and XIAP mRNA expression in placenta. Conclusion: The ultrasonic umbilical artery flow features of fetal intrauterine hypoxia are increased resistance and decreased flow and they are closely related to the degree of oxidative stress injury and placenta cell apoptosis.