RESUMO
AIMS: The authors aimed to evaluate serum neutrophil gelatinase associated lipocalin (NGAL) and plasma nitric oxide (NO) levels in preeclamptic and healthy pregnant women above 24 gestation weeks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine healthy and 21 preeclamptic (total 70) pregnant women participated voluntarily in the study. Presence of 140 mmHg and above systolic and 90 mmHg and above diastolic blood pressure which emerges after 20th gestation week, proteinuria more than 300 mg/24 hour, and edema were used as diagnostic criterion for preeclamptic pregnant women. Measurements of serum NGAL and plasma NO were performed with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and photometric method, respectively. RESULTS: Serum NGAL and plasma NO levels of healthy and preeclamptic groups did not show a statistical difference. In preeclamptic group, a statistically meaningful correlation was found between level of NGAL and body mass index (BMI) of sampling time, creatinine and NGAL, total protein and NO, and albumin and NO. CONCLUSIONS: Serum NGAL levels, correlated with serum creatinine levels in this study, may be the early marker of renal damage which may develop mainly due to inflammation and endothelial damage. The authors could not find a statistical difference for serum NGAL and plasma NO levels between healthy pregnant and preeclamptic groups. Varieties peculiar to humans in preeclampsia, impossibility of obtaining first trimester tissue material as an evidence of inadequate trophoblast invasion, and different appearance of maternal reaction to underlying main pathology in every case may restrict clarification of etiopathogenesis.
