Preeclampsia is a common pregnancy complication in the latter half of gestation diagnosed by hypertension and proteinuria. A key feature of preeclampsia is an altered placentation with reduced trophoblast invasion. Normal placentation requires controlled invasion of trophoblasts into the maternal uterine wall, with secretion of specific proteolytic enzymes able to degrade basement membranes and extracellular matrix, such as the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). 8-Iso-prostaglandin F(2alpha) (8-iso-PGF(2alpha)) is a marker of oxidative stress in vivo and is biologically active. We have recently reported an elevated content of free 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) in preeclamptic gestational tissue at delivery. Assuming an elevated level of 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) during the invasion period of the pregnancy, we hypothesized that 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) could reduce invasion of JAR cells, a choriocarcinoma cell line. We investigated JAR cell invasion with 2 types of Transwell assays and demonstrated that 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) (10 micromol/L) resulted in reduced cell invasion in both the colorimetric and radioactivity Transwell assays (P<0.01). Zymograms revealed reduced MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity in conditioned media from JAR cells incubated with 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) (10 micromol/L) (P<0.02). 8-Iso-PGF(2alpha) (10 micromol/L) also reduced the collagenase type IV activity in the conditioned media of JAR cells (P=0.04). No effects on MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA levels were observed after incubation with 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) (10 micromol/L), whereas protein levels were significantly decreased (P<0.02), suggesting a posttranscriptional regulation. We hypothesize a potential role for 8-iso-PGF(2alpha) in the reduced trophoblast invasion in preeclampsia.