RESUMO
PURPOSE: We examined pregnancy outcomes and maternal plasma asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) concentrations in the presence or absence of uterine artery notch, and analyzed their relationships to the expression of placental endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and antioxidant enzymes, including manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase. METHODS: We assessed uterine artery doppler waveforms in 30 women who had been hospitalized for delivery. Plasma concentrations of ADMA were also measured. Tissue samples of placentas were obtained from 15 patients with diastolic notch and 15 patients without diastolic notch, according to uterine Doppler velocimetry analysis. We evaluated the placental expression of eNOS, MnSOD, GPX and catalase with Western blot analysis and eNOS with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The maternal plasma ADMA concentration increased significantly in the group with bilateral Uterine artery notch compared with the group without uterine artery notch (P=0.04). The expression of eNOS in the placenta significantly increased and the expression of MnSOD and GPX decreased significantly in the group with uterine artery notch at the third trimester. CONCLUSION: Uterine artery diastolic notch in pregnant women is associated with high maternal plasma ADMA, increased placental eNOS, and decreased MnSOD and GPX.