Grant: Operating Grant

Preeclampsia is a common disorder of pregnancy and is a leading cause of sickness to the mother and her child. It is diagnosed primarily by the onset of high blood pressure and protein in the urine during the last half of pregnancy. Despite extensive study, the cause for preeclampsia is not known. The only cure is to deliver the baby, which results in the risk of delivering a premature infant. There is evidence that the elevated blood pressure in women with preeclampsia is due to problems with the cells that line the inside of all blood vessels; they are called endothelial cells. Endothelial cells synthesize many substances that can relax and constrict blood vessels. Since delivery of the baby, and therefore the placenta, removes the symptoms of preeclampsia, it is proposed that the placenta releases factors into the blood stream that affects vascular function by promoting endothelial cells to produce more constrictors and less dilators. We will study blood vessels exposed to plasma from women with preeclampsia as well as studying animal models that have similar features as women with preeclampsia. In these models, we will determine vascular pathways that are affected by factors in the blood that ultimately leads to high blood pressure. In addition, we will study potential therapies using natural food supplements such as the plant-derived product, resveratrol or an egg-derived peptide. Our studies are designed to determine the vascular pathways that lead to the high blood pressure and possible treatments. These studies will increase our understanding of the vascular complication in preeclampsia in order to develop new therapies to minimize the impact to the mother and her child.