Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Pre-eclampsia (PE), a form of de novo maternal hypertension, is a potentially deadly yet poorly understood complication of pregnancy. PE claims the lives of 76,000 women and 500,000 babies each year around the world; this rate amounts to one woman or child per minute, the
same as the rate of death following heart attack. Much remains unknown about the etiology of PE, due in part to the lack of a spontaneous animal model of the disease. However, disturbance of 24-hour rhythms in blood pressure and decline in renal function have been
implicated in the pathogenesis of PE. We have previously characterized the African Green Monkey (AGM; Chlorocepbus aethiops sabeus) as a model of spontaneous hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy, and more recently, gestational hypertension (GH), a precursor to PE. Preliminary data indicate that the AGM may also exhibit PE. Aim I will record 24-hour systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), core body temperature (CBT), and electrocardiogram (ECG) in normotensive (NT; SBP 140mmHg) female AGMs pre-, peri-, and post-pregnancy. This will be done using wireless radiotelemetry for continual monitoring of these parameters while animals are freely moving within group housing. This aim is critical for identifying GH and PE, as well as recording alterations in circadian rhythmicity of BP, HR, CBT, and ECG prior to onset of symptoms. Aim II will assess renal function before, during, and after pregnancy in NT, HT, and GH/PE AGMs. We will measure glomerular filtration rate (GFR), plasma/urine osmolarity, plasma catecholamines, plasma/urine copeptin, and urinary protein excretion before pregnancy, during the second and third trimester, and within one week after delivery. This will provide a thorough analysis of the contribution of the kidney in the pathogenesis of PE and GH, clarifying the relationship between pregnancy-induced hypertension and decline in renal function before, during, and after development of the disease. When successfully characterized, the AGM will be the first known nonhuman, spontaneous model of PE. These aims will also provide a comprehensive overview of chronic hypertension during pregnancy in a nonhuman primate model.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 7/1/17 → 6/30/19 |
Fingerprint
Explore the research topics touched on by this project. These labels are generated based on the underlying awards/grants. Together they form a unique fingerprint.