ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant cause of fetal and maternal mortality around the world and there is evidence that insulin resistance has been implicated in the pathophysiology of PE. The Akt/PKB pathway is stimulated by insulin and performs several vital functions relative to growth, survival and cellular metabolism. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the basal expression of Akt/PKB, HSP90 expression, proteins that regulate Akt/PKB activity and substrate in the placenta, skeletal muscle and adipocytes of normal and PE parturient. METHOD: Samples were collected from 17 normal patients and 17 PE patients, and analyzed by Western blot to quantify the protein expression involved in signaling cascade of Akt/PKB. RESULTS: Total Akt/PKB expression for normal placentas was 1.85 (1.07-3.12) and 1.53 (1.27-3.08) in PE (p = 1.00); in the adipose tissue of normal placentas it was 1.10 (0.53-1.73) and 1.66 (0.83-2.00) in PE (p = 0.37). CONCLUSIONS: There was no difference in the Akt/PKB pathway, in basal state, in placentas and skeletal muscle of normal and PE patients. However, defects in this signaling pathway as pathophysiology of PE cannot be excluded because it is necessary to analyze this pathway during stimulation.