Browsing by Author "Marin, Reinaldo"

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    Cellular mechanisms linking to outdoor and indoor air pollution damage during pregnancy
    (FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2023) Chiarello, Delia I.; Ustariz, Javier; Marin, Reinaldo; Carrasco-Wong, Ivo; Farias, Marcelo; Giordano, Ady; Gallardo, Felipe S.; Illanes, Sebastian E.; Gutierrez, Jaime
    Pregnancies are a critical window period for environmental influences over the mother and the offspring. There is a growing body of evidence associating indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Particulate matter (PM) could trigger oxi-inflammation and could also reach the placenta leading to placental damage with fetal consequences. The combination of strategies such as risk assessment, advise about risks of environmental exposures to pregnant women, together with nutritional strategies and digital solutions to monitor air quality can be effective in mitigating the effects of air pollution during pregnancy.
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    Magnesium sulfate against oxidative damage of membrane lipids: A theoretical model
    (2017) Fernandez, Miguel; Marin, Reinaldo; Proverbio, Fulgencio; Chiarello, Delia I.; Ruette, Fernando
    The role of magnesium sulfate as an inhibitor of lipid peroxidation has been poorly understood, although this salt has been intensively used in a wide range of diseases related to lipid peroxidation, for example, preeclampsia. Classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a lipid bilayer in the presence of (OH)-O-. radicals and MgSO4 were performed to study their effects on membrane properties. Additionally, quantum chemistry (QC) calculations for MgSO4, (OH)-O-., MgSO4 (OH)-O-., [MgSO4(H2O)(4)], and [MgSO4(H2O)(4) (OH)-O-.] were performed to analyze the interactions between OH Mg. The MD results showed that the Mg salt is hydrated, forming a contact ion pair (CIP) that is adsorbed on the membrane surface close to phosphate groups. Comparisons of MD calculations for Mg-O distances indicate good agreement with theoretical QC and experimental studies. MD results also reveal that MgSO4 increases the thickness and the compressibility modulus of the membrane, indicating that it is less compressible. In contrast, DFT calculations show important OH MgASO(4) interactions in hydrated systems that inhibit the radical action by resonance in the SO4- group (smearing the spin density). These results, together with the reported experimental findings of OH high mobility in water and fast water exchange in Mg+2, may explain the MgSO4 protective effect against lipid peroxidation on cellular membranes.
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    SARS- CoV-2 infection and oxidative stress in early-onset preeclampsia
    (2022) Marin, Reinaldo; Pujol, Flor H.; Rojas, Deliana; Sobrevia, Luis
    SARS-CoV-2 causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) also in pregnant women. Infection in pregnancy leads to maternal and placental functional alterations. Pregnant women with vascular defects such as preeclampsia show high susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection by undefined mechanisms. Pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 show higher rates of preterm birth and caesarean delivery, and their placentas show signs of vasculopathy and inflammation. It is still unclear whether the foetus is affected by the maternal infection with this virus and whether maternal infection associates with postnatal affections. The SARS-CoV-2 infection causes oxidative stress and activation of the immune system leading to cytokine storm and next tissue damage as seen in the lung. The angiotensin-converting-enzyme 2 expression is determinant for these alterations in the lung. Since this enzyme is expressed in the human placenta, SARS-CoV-2 could infect the placenta tissue, although reported to be of low frequency compared with maternal lung tissue. Early-onset preeclampsia (eoPE) shows higher expression of ADAM17 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17) causing an imbalanced renin-angiotensin system and endothelial dysfunction. A similar mechanism seems to potentially account for SARS-CoV-2 infection. This review highlights the potentially common characteristics of pregnant women with eoPE with those with COVID19. A better understanding of the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and its impact on the placenta function is determinant since eoPE/COVID-19 association may result in maternal metabolic alterations that might lead to a potential worsening of the foetal programming of diseases in the neonate, young, and adult.