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. 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. In addition, women who have experienced preeclampsia are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. There is evidence that the elevated blood pressure that occurs in preeclampsia is due to dysfunction of endothelial cells that are the cells that line the lumen of all blood vessels. Endothelial cells produce many substances that can relax and constrict blood vessels. Since delivery of the baby and 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 vessel function in an animal model that has similar features as women with preeclampsia. In this model, blood flow to the uterus is reduced and this leads to the placenta releasing factors in the blood that results in high blood pressure. Our studies are designed to determine the vascular pathways that lead to the high blood pressure. In addition, we will determine if circulating factors are responsible for the impaired blood vessel function. Our last aim is to study the vascular effects of previous exposure to preeclampsia on later life cardiovascular function. These studies will increase our understanding of the vascular problems in preeclampsia in order to develop new therapies to improve the outcome of the mother and her child.