The Role of Oxidative Stress in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (Preeclampsia, Gestational Hypertension) and Metabolic Disorder of Pregnancy (Gestational Diabetes Mellitus)

Figure 3

Schematic diagram showing how hyperglycaemia leads to oxidative stress, adapted from [102]. Hyperglycaemia is shown to be the prominent cause of oxidative stress in women with GDM. This occurs due to an increase in superoxide anion production in the mitochondria, caused increased pyruvate, and NADH formation, which activates various pathways. These include the polyol pathway, hexosamine pathway, activation of protein kinase C, and the activation of advanced glycation end products (AGE). All these pathways lead to an elevation in ROS.