Third-trimester maternal COVID-19 infection and oxidative stress biomarkers in umbilical cord blood

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effect of maternal COVID-19 infection on oxidative stress indicators in the umbilical cord. METHODS: This was a prospective study. The umbilical cord oxidative stress biomarkers, which include malondialdehyde (MDA), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), and oxidative stress index (OSI), were compared between COVID-19 positive (study group) and COVID-19 negative mothers (control group). RESULTS: There were 25 mothers in each group.Malondialdehyde, TOS, TAS, and OSI values were not associated with maternal age, delivery mode, gestational age, gender, anthropometric measurements, or APGAR scores.Malondialdehyde (26.97 nmol/L [11.14-46.88] vs. 9.93 nmol/L [7.33-13.40], p = 0.001) and TAS (2.13 ± 0.30 mmol/L vs. 1.93 ± 0.19 mmol/L, p = 0.005) values in the study group were significantly higher compared to the control group.The TOS and OSI were similar between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Malondialdehyde and TAS were higher in the umbilical cord blood of COVID-19 positive mothers than in healthy controls during the third trimester. Third trimester maternal COVID-19 infection may be associated with increased oxidative stress, accompanied by a compensatory antioxidant response.