ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related pathological condition triggered by an abnormal placentation which produces endothelial dysfunction (ED). ED, in turn, is associated with an increase in homocysteine (hcy) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA); these molecules are also increased when some of the B-vitamins are deficient. It is unclear whether increases in hcy and ADMA during preeclampsia are the result of ED, or the consequence of a B-vitamin deficiency. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate hcy, ADMA, folic acid (FA), vitamin B6 and B2 concentrations in patients with preeclampsia. METHODS: In a cross-sectional design 19 patients with severe preeclamp- sia (preeclampsia) and 57 with normal pregnancy (no-preeclampsia), paired by gestational age and body mass index, were studied. Plasma hcy, ADMA, FA and vitamins B6 and B12 were determined. Non-parametric statistics was used for between-groups comparisons and regression analyses to evaluate interactions among molecules. RESULTS: 72% of women were vitamin B deficient, 40% were deficient of B12 and 4% of FA. Preeclamptic patients presented hcy and ADMA concentrations higher than no-preeclamptic ones. Inferential analyses demonstrated that: hcy and ADMA are increased during preeclampsia independently from vitamins blood concentration; that the risk for pre- eclampsia is associated with high hcy but not with vitamins deficiency; and that the ratio L-arginine:ADMA decreases the preeclampsia risk. CONCLUSION: In patients with preeclampsia, increases of hcy and ADMA are associated with ED, but not with deficiency of the vitamins involved in their metabolism.