Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Oxygen Damage
18 June 2015

Oxygen Damage

Pre-eclampsia – which can be life-threatening to mother and baby – occurs during around 5% of pregnancies. It’s thought to be caused by foetal haemoglobin (HbF) – the molecule that carries oxygen in the foetus’ blood – leaking from the placenta and releasing reactive oxygen molecules. As well as causing high blood pressure, they can damage delicate membranes such as those in the placenta and kidney. Currently, the only cure for pre-eclampsia is to induce birth. However, a molecule produced by our liver called A1M, can mop up the harmful agents in HbF, preventing them from causing damage. Looking with high magnification at the depths of kidneys from rabbits given HbF and comparing them with those from healthy rabbits (pictured), researchers found HbF caused pre-eclampsia-like damage. But if the rabbits were then given A1M, damage disappeared. It’s possible that boosting the mother’s own A1M could provide a cure for pre-eclampsia.

Written by Esther Redhouse White

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.