Abstract
Preeclampsia (PE) is a pregnancy disorder characterized by elevated blood pressure (>140/90 mmHg) and proteinuria. Several studies relate placenta as a key organ in preeclampsia. We developed PE in an animal model using nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω‐nitro‐L‐arginine methyl ester (L‐NAME). Female rats (220‐250 g) (n=16) were mated and we started applying L‐NAME, (60mg/Kg, intraperitoneally – i.p.) from 15‐21th day of pregnancy in all dams. Another set of animals (n=8) were treated with sodium hydrogen sulfide (NaHS) (50µmol/Kg, twice daily, i.p.), a quick donor of H2S, a gasotransmitter with important cardiovascular responses. We measured pressure by tail cuff plethysmography at gestational days 14, 16, 18 and 20. Animals were killed on pregnancy day 21 (ethics committee CEUA IBB/UNESP protocol 619/2014). Injection of L‐NAME significantly elevated systolic blood pressure while treatment with NaHS reduced it on pregnancy days 16 and 18 (148.12±1.48 mmHg, 149.25±1.02 mmHg; PE vs. 132.00±1.30 mmHg, 129.37±0.95 mmHg; PE+NaHS on gestational days 16 and 18, respectively). Pups body weight did not change significantly. Placentas weight however (0.55±0.01 PE vs. 0.64±0.03 PE+NaHS) was meaningfully higher in treated animals. Thus, number of reabsorbed pups (0.62±0.26 PE vs. 1.75±0.31 PE+NaHS) was higher in PE+NaHS group. MTT assay, which verifies antioxidant status of plasma, showed no difference in PE and treated animals. Our data showed that systolic blood pressure was significantly reduced in animals with PE treated with NaHS and differences in placentas weights can be related to an enhancement in blood flow promoted by H2S.
Published Version
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