Evaluation of the histology and the oxidative stress status in the placentas of obese mothers

Background: Obesity becomes one of the most universal medical problems that affects women at reproductive period. Aim: To highlight the placental changes in obese mothers and to determine their relation to the oxidative stress. Methods: This work is a prospective casecontrol study in which placentas were obtained from 60 singleton pregnant women who delivered at Al-Khansaa Maternity Teaching Hospital, Mosul, Northern of Iraq, starting from January 2020 to March 2020. The women were classified into three groups: Group 1: includes (control) women who have BMI ranged between 18-24.9 kg/m 2 (N=20), Group2: (Overweight) includes women who have BMI ranged between25-29.9 kg/m 2 (N=20), Group 3: (Obese) includes women with BMI ≥30 kg/m 2 (N=20).Two placental biopsies were obtained from maternal side and fetal side of each case and submitted for histological examination via light microscope. In addition, Fresh placental specimens (0.5gm) had been taken from all study groups and frozen until the time of procedure for oxidative stress analysis. Results: The Histological sections of group 2 and 3 placental discs revealed different histological changes in comparison with those of group 1. These changes include syncytial knotting ,villous hypovascularity, villous fibrinoid necrosis, thickening of trophoblastic basement membrane, cytotrophoblastic hyperplasia, perivillous fibrin deposition ,increase in number of nucleated red blood cells (NRBC), stromal fibrosis, chorangiosis ,paucity of vasculosyncytial membrane (VSM), villous edema, features of deciduitis, villitis, and increase the thickening of tunica media of the placental blood vessels. The biochemical analysis of the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the placental homogenates of the three study groups revealed a significant increase in homogenates of group 2 and 3 in comparison with that in group 1 indicating the presence of the oxidative stress. Conclusion: this work reveals a marked increase in the level of MDA in placental homogenates of the obese and overweight groups in comparison with that of control group suggesting the role of the oxidative stress.