PD189 - THE CONTENT OF IRON, ZINC, AND COPPER IN THE PLACENTA OF WOMEN WITH PREECLAMPSIA

PD189

THE CONTENT OF IRON, ZINC, AND COPPER IN THE PLACENTA OF WOMEN WITH PREECLAMPSIA

J. Suliburska^1,*, M. Czuba², Z. Gaj², M. Grzesiak²

¹Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, ²Polish Mother’s Health Center Institute in Łódź, Łódź, Poland

Rationale: Mineral status disturbances may contribute to oxidative stress, endothelial damage, and inflammatory imbalance in preeclampsia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of iron, zinc, and copper in the placentas of women with preeclampsia.

Methods: This study was conducted on 30 pregnant women with preeclampsia (PE) and 30 healthy pregnant women (C), aged 23–44 years. The placenta was collected at delivery. In the PE group, the women gave birth at 30–42 weeks of gestation, and in the C group at 38-41 weeks of gestation. The pre-pregnancy BMI index was calculated. Women taking dietary supplements containing iron, zinc, and copper were excluded from the study.  Iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) content in the placenta were determined by flame atomic spectrometry (Hitachi ZA-3000) after mineralization in a Microwave Digestion system (Mars 2™). A statistical analysis of the results was performed using Statistica 13.3 and GraphPad. The results are shown as median and 1st and 3rd quartiles.

Results: It was found that the level of Cu in the placenta was significantly higher (p=0.033) in the PE group (2.46, 1.98-3.64 µg/g dm) than in the C group (1.98, 0.99-2.80 µg/g dm). The concentrations of Fe and Zn were comparable between groups (Fe:570.54, 368.37-689.13 vs 460.71, 359.63-549.16 µg/g dm and Zn: 27.43, 21.65-35.03 vs 26.93, 22.72-31.35 µg/g dm).

The mean pre-pregnancy BMI did not differ between groups (PE: 22.20, 21.10-25.79 kg/m² vs C: 21.63, 20.18-23.14 kg/m²), but the newborn weight was significantly lower (p<0.01) in the PE group (3350, 2940-3635 g) than in the C group (3630, 3480-3800 g).

Conclusion: In conclusion, an elevated placental copper content is associated with preeclampsia.

This study was funded by NCN (grant no 2021/43/B/NZ9/00177).

Disclosure of Interest: None declared