THE EFFECT OF SPONTANEOUS FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION AND ACCELERATED POSTNATAL GROWTH ON BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE AGED GUINEA PIG

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a common and potentially severe pregnancy complication. Currently there is no treatment available. The guinea pig is an attractive model of human pregnancy as placentation is morphologically very similar between the species. Nutrient restriction of the dam creates growth-restricted fetuses while leaving an intact uteroplacental circulation, vital for evaluating novel therapies for FGR. Growth-restricted fetuses were generated by feeding Dunkin Hartley guinea pig dams 70% of ad libitum intake from four weeks before and throughout pregnancy. The effect of maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) on dams and fetuses was carefully monitored, and ultrasound measurements of pups collected. There was no difference in maternal weight at conception, however by five weeks post conception MNR dams were significantly lighter ( P < 0.05). MNR resulted in significantly smaller pup size from 0.6–0.66 gestation. Ultrasound is a powerful non-invasive tool for assessing the effect of therapeutic interventions on fetal growth, allowing longitudinal measurement of fetuses. This model and method yield data applicable to the human condition without the need for animal sacrifice and will be useful in the translation of therapies for FGR into the clinic.

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Prenatal Use of Sildenafil in Fetal Growth Restriction and Its Effect on Neonatal Tissue Oxygenation—A Retrospective Analysis of Hemodynamic Data From Participants of the Dutch STRIDER Trial

Frontiers in Pediatrics ◽

10.3389/fped.2020.595693 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Fieke Terstappen ◽

Anne E. Richter ◽

A. Titia Lely ◽

Freek E. Hoebeek ◽

Ayten Elvan-Taspinar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Placebo Group ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Fetal Growth Restriction ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Near Infrared ◽

Cerebral Oxygenation ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

Tissue Oxygen Saturation

Objective: Sildenafil is under investigation as a potential agent to improve uteroplacental perfusion in fetal growth restriction (FGR). However, the STRIDER RCT was halted after interim analysis due to futility and higher rates of persistent pulmonary hypertension and mortality in sildenafil-exposed neonates. This hypothesis-generating study within the Dutch STRIDER trial sought to understand what happened to these neonates by studying their regional tissue oxygen saturation (rSO2) within the first 72 h after birth.Methods: Pregnant women with FGR received 25 mg placebo or sildenafil thrice daily within the Dutch STRIDER trial. We retrospectively analyzed the cerebral and renal rSO2 monitored with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) in a subset of neonates admitted to two participating neonatal intensive care units, in which NIRS is part of standard care. Secondarily, blood pressure and heart rate were analyzed to aid interpretation. Differences in oxygenation levels and interaction with time (slope) between placebo- and sildenafil-exposed groups were tested using mixed effects analyses with multiple comparisons tests.Results: Cerebral rSO2 levels were not different between treatment groups (79 vs. 77%; both n = 14) with comparable slopes. Sildenafil-exposed infants (n = 5) showed lower renal rSO2 than placebo-exposed infants (n = 6) during several time intervals on day one and two. At 69–72 h, however, the sildenafil group showed higher renal rSO2 than the placebo group. Initially, diastolic blood pressure was higher and heart rate lower in the sildenafil than the placebo group, which changed during day two.Conclusions: Although limited by sample size, our data suggest that prenatal sildenafil alters renal but not cerebral oxygenation in FGR neonates during the first 72 post-natal hours. The observed changes in renal oxygenation could reflect a vasoconstrictive rebound from sildenafil. Similar changes observed in accompanying vital parameters support this hypothesis.

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Investigation of interleukin-2-mediated changes in blood pressure, fetal growth restriction, and innate immune activation in normal pregnant rats and in a preclinical rat model of preeclampsia

Biology of Sex Differences ◽

10.1186/s13293-020-00345-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Mark W. Cunningham ◽

Lorena M. Amaral ◽

Nathan E. Campbell ◽

Denise C. Cornelius ◽

Tarek Ibrahim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Nk Cells ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Rat Model ◽

Fetal Growth Restriction ◽

Nk Cell ◽

Interleukin 2 ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

High Dose ◽

Fetal Survival

AbstractTwo important clinical features of preeclampsia (PE) are hypertension and fetal growth restriction. The reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) preclinical rat model of PE exhibits both of these features. Moreover, RUPP and PE women have elevated vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin-1 (ET-1) and inflammation. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a cytokine that regulates NK cell activity and is elevated in miscarriage, PE, and RUPP rats. The objective of this study was to examine a role for IL-2 in NK cell activation, fetal growth restriction, and hypertension during pregnancy by either infusion of IL-2 or blockade of IL-2 (basiliximab) in normal pregnant (NP) and RUPP rats. On gestational day 14, NP and RUPP rats received low (LD), middle (MD), or high dose (HD) IL-2 (0.05, 0.10, or 0.20 ng/ml) IP or basiliximab (0.07 mg per rat) by IV infusion. On day 19, blood pressure (MAP), pup weights, and blood were collected. Basiliximab had no effect on blood pressure, however, significantly lowered NK cells and may have worsened overall fetal survival in RUPP rats. However, IL-2 LD (102 ± 4 mmHg) and IL-2 HD (105 ± 6 mmHg) significantly lowered blood pressure, ET-1, and activated NK cells compared to control RUPPs (124 ± 3 mmHg, p < 0.05). Importantly, IL-2 in RUPP rats significantly reduced fetal weight and survival. These data indicate that although maternal benefits may have occurred with low dose IL-2 infusion, negative effects were seen in the fetus. Moreover, inhibition of IL-2 signaling did not have favorable outcome for the mother or fetus.

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Fetal growth restriction shortens cardiac telomere length, but this is attenuated by exercise in early life

Physiological Genomics ◽

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00042.2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 50 (11) ◽

pp. 956-963

Author(s):

S. A. Booth ◽

G. D. Wadley ◽

F. Z. Marques ◽

M. E. Wlodek ◽

F. J. Charchar

Keyword(s):

Telomere Length ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Fetal Growth Restriction ◽

Early Life ◽

Protein Structures ◽

Later Life ◽

Postnatal Growth ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

Male Rats ◽

Early Exercise

Background and aims: Fetal and postnatal growth restriction cause a predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood. Telomeres are repetitive DNA-protein structures that protect chromosome ends, and the loss of these repeats (a reduction in telomere length) is associated with CVD. As exercise preserves telomere length and cardiovascular health, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of growth restriction and exercise training on cardiac telomere length and telomeric genes. Methods and results: Pregnant Wistar Kyoto rats underwent bilateral uterine vessel ligation to induce uteroplacental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction (“Restricted”). Sham-operated rats had either intact litters (“Control”) or their litters reduced to five pups with slowed postnatal growth (“Reduced”). Control, Restricted, and Reduced male rats were assigned to Sedentary, Early exercise (5–9 wk of age), or Late exercise (20–24 wk of age) groups. Hearts were excised at 24 wk of age for telomere length and gene expression measurements by quantitative PCR. Growth restriction shortened cardiac telomere length ( P < 0.001), but this was rescued by early exercise ( P < 0.001). Early and Late exercise increased cardiac weight index ( P < 0.001), but neither this nor telomere length was associated with expression of the telomeric genes Tert, Terc, Trf2, Pnuts, or Sirt1. Discussion and conclusions: Growth restriction shortens cardiac telomere length, reflecting the cardiac pathologies associated with low birth weight. Exercise in early life may offer long-term protective effects on cardiac telomere length, which could help prevent CVD in later life.

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Abstract 03: Ablation Of Endothelial Dysfunction Improves Blood Pressure And Fetal Growth Restriction In A Mouse Model Of Preeclampsia-like Hyperleptinemia

Hypertension ◽

10.1161/hyp.78.suppl_1.03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 78 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Jessica L Faulkner ◽

Derrian Wright ◽

Simone Kennard ◽

Galina Antonova ◽

Iris Z Jaffe ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Fetal Growth Restriction ◽

Vascular Function ◽

Vascular Dysfunction ◽

Fold Change ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

Mesenteric Arteries ◽

Pregnant Mice ◽

Placental Efficiency

Placental ischemia, an initiating event of preeclampsia (PE), increases plasma leptin levels. We recently developed a model of midgestation (gestation day (GD)11-18) leptin infusion mimicking the midgestation rise in leptin levels of PE patients. Our previous work demonstrates that deletion of endothelial mineralocorticoid receptors (ECMR) improves markers of vascular dysfunction in leptin-infused female mice. We hypothesized vascular function improvement with ECMR deletion ablates hypertension and fetal growth restriction in pregnant leptin-infused mice. Pregnant ECMR +/+ (WT) and ECMR -/- (KO) mice were infused with vehicle or leptin by osmotic pump (lep, 0.9mg/kg/day, s.c.) on GD11-18 while implanted with radiotelemeters for conscious blood pressure (BP) measurement and wire myography of thoracic aorta and 2 nd order mesenteric arteries at GD18 (*=P<0.05). Leptin infusion did not decrease maternal weight in any groups. Leptin decreased pup weight (0.86±0.04g WT vs 0.52±0.11 WT+lep*) and placental efficiency (pup/placenta ratio) (9.7±0.7 WT vs 7.9±0.6 WT+lep*) in WT pregnant mice. ECMR deletion prevented leptin-mediated decreases in pup weight (0.91±0.06g KO vs 1.0±0.07 KO+lep) and placental efficiency (9.6±0.5 KO vs 9.4±1.2 KO+lep). Mean arterial pressure (BP) increased in leptin-infused WT (102±3mmHg WT vs 120±12 WT+lep*), but not KO (107±2 KO vs 106±8 KO+lep), mice from GD11-18. Leptin infusion reduced acetylcholine-mediated relaxation in both aorta and mesenteric arteries of WT* and constriction to KCl in mesenteric arteries in WT*, but not KO, pregnant mice (2-way ANOVA, repeated measures). Leptin increased plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1, 1.1±0.3 pg/ml WT vs 4.4±1.8 WT+lep*), placental mRNA expression of prepro-ET-1 (1.9±0.3-fold change from WT*) and ET-1 converting enzyme-1 (1.6±0.3-fold change from WT*) in pregnant WT mice. Leptin infusion also increased adrenal aldosterone-synthase protein (1.4±0.4 WT ratio/β actin vs 3.2±0.3 WT+lep*) and angiotensin II type 1 receptor b (3.5±0.8-fold change from WT*) mRNA in pregnant mice. Collectively, these data indicate that leptin infusion induces hypertension and fetal growth restriction in pregnant mice due to vascular dysfunction and increased ECMR activation in pregnant mice.

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Fetal Growth Restriction Is Associated With Decreased Number of Ovarian Follicles and Impaired Follicle Growth in Young Adult Guinea Pig Offspring

Reproductive Sciences ◽

10.1177/1933719119828041 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (12) ◽

pp. 1557-1567 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patrycja A. Jazwiec ◽

Xinglin Li ◽

Brad Matushewski ◽

Bryan S. Richardson ◽

Deborah M. Sloboda

Keyword(s):

Young Adult ◽

Guinea Pig ◽

Fetal Growth ◽

Fetal Growth Restriction ◽

Messenger Rna ◽

Ovarian Development ◽

In Utero ◽

Growth Restriction ◽

Corpora Lutea ◽

Follicle Growth

Background: The mechanisms mediating the impacts of fetal growth restriction (FGR) on follicular development are commonly studied in mouse/rat models, where ovarian development occurs largely during the early postnatal period. These models have shown that FGR is associated with premature follicle loss, early pubertal onset, and accelerated ovarian aging. Whether the same occurs in precocious species is unknown. Objective: Since guinea pig follicle development occurs in utero in a manner consistent with human ovarian development, we sought to determine whether FGR had similar impacts on guinea pig ovarian development. Methods: Dunkin-Hartley guinea pig dams were randomized to receive a control (CON) or a nutrient-restricted diet (FGR) prior to conception until weaning. Offspring ovaries were collected at prepubertal (postnatal day [P] 25) and young adult (P110) time points. Results: Prepubertal offspring exposed to FGR showed little differences in ovarian transcript levels and follicle counts. Young adult FGR offspring, however, showed reductions in the number of transitioning, primary, and antral follicles, as well as corpora lutea. This loss in follicles was associated with reduced insulin-like growth factor receptor and growth differentiation factor-9 messenger RNA levels in FGR P110 offspring compared to CON. Conclusion: We demonstrate that FGR in guinea pigs is accompanied by perturbations in signaling pathways essential for proper follicle growth and manifests as reductions in growing follicles in offspring, but these changes do not manifest until postpuberty. These data support the fact that accelerated reproductive maturation/aging is a conserved phenotype that is associated with in utero nutritional adversity.

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