Abstract P308: Rgs2 Promotes Uterine Blood Flow During Pregnancy

Hypertension ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer N Koch ◽  
Elizabeth A Owens ◽  
Shelby Dahlen ◽  
Jie Li ◽  
Patrick Osei Owusu

Regulators of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are crucial in mediating vascular smooth muscle contraction via the regulation of heterotrimeric G proteins, affecting blood pressure and arterial blood flow. Previous studies by others and us showed that RGS2 deficiency augments vascular tone and impairs uterine blood flow (UBF) in non-pregnant mice, and that an Rgs2 loss-of-function mutation is linked to preeclampsia in humans; however, the mechanisms are unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that increased RGS2 expression and/or function facilitates placental perfusion by promoting vasodilation and UBF. We determined gene expression throughout pregnancy and post-partum period by real-time qPCR, while uterine blood flow and blood pressure were examined by ultrasound and carotid artery catheterization, respectively, under anesthesia. RGS2 expression decreased markedly by pregnancy day 10 (0.049 ± 0.013 vs. 0.023 ± 0.017) but returned to non-pregnancy level by day 15 (0.049 ± 0.013 vs. 0.041 ± 0.008,) in wild type mice. The pattern of changes in impedance to UBF mimicked gene expression profile in WT mice; in contrast, impedance remained elevated in Rgs2-/- mice at pregnancy day 15 (RI; WT: 0.516 ± 0.027, vs. RGS2-/-: 0.714 ± 0.020). Systemic blood pressure was similar between WT and Rgst2-/- mice at all stages of pregnancy. The results together indicate that RGS2 promotes uterine perfusion during pregnancy independently of its blood pressure effects. These findings are clinically relevant as selective targeting of G protein signaling could improve utero-placental hypoperfusion during pregnancy and prevent the development of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia.

2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1966-1972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria T. E. Hopman ◽  
Jan T. Groothuis ◽  
Marcel Flendrie ◽  
Karin H. L. Gerrits ◽  
Sibrand Houtman

The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a spinal cord injury (SCI) on resting vascular resistance in paralyzed legs in humans. To accomplish this goal, we measured blood pressure and resting flow above and below the lesion (by using venous occlusion plethysmography) in 11 patients with SCI and in 10 healthy controls (C). Relative vascular resistance was calculated as mean arterial pressure in millimeters of mercury divided by the arterial blood flow in milliliters per minute per 100 milliliters of tissue. Arterial blood flow in the sympathetically deprived and paralyzed legs of SCI was significantly lower than leg blood flow in C. Because mean arterial pressure showed no differences between both groups, leg vascular resistance in SCI was significantly higher than in C. Within the SCI group, arterial blood flow was significantly higher and vascular resistance significantly lower in the arms than in the legs. To distinguish between the effect of loss of central neural control vs. deconditioning, a group of nine SCI patients was trained for 6 wk and showed a 30% increase in leg blood flow with unchanged blood pressure levels, indicating a marked reduction in vascular resistance. In conclusion, vascular resistance is increased in the paralyzed legs of individuals with SCI and is reversible by training.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (108) ◽  
pp. 2-8
Author(s):  
Kęstutis Bunevičius ◽  
Albinas Grunovas ◽  
Jonas Poderys

Background. Occlusion pressure intensity influences the blood flow intensity. Immediately after the cuff pressure is released, reactive hyperaemia occurs. Increased blood flow and nutritive delivery are critical for an anabolic stimulus, such as insulin. The aim of study was to find which occlusion pressure was optimal to increase the highest level of post occlusion reactive hyperaemia. Methods. Participants were randomly assigned into one of the four conditions (n = 12 per group): control group without blood flow restriction, experimental groups with 120; 200 or 300 mmHg occlusion pressure. We used venous occlusion plethysmography and arterial blood pressure measurements. Results. After the onset of 120 and 200 mm Hg pressure occlusion, the blood flow intensity significantly decreased. Occlusion induced hyperaemia increased arterial blood flow intensity 134 ± 11.2% (p < .05) in the group with 120 mmHg, in the group with 200 mmHg it increased 267 ± 10.5% (p < .05), in the group with 300 mmHg it increased 233 ± 10.9% (p < .05). Applied 300 mmHg occlusion from the 12 minute diastolic and systolic arterial blood pressure decreased statistically significantly. Conclusions. Occlusion manoeuvre impacted the vascular vasodilatation, but the peak blood flow registered after occlusion did not relate to applied occlusion pressure. The pressure of 200 mmHg is optimal to impact the high level of vasodilatation. Longer than 12 min 300 mmHg could not be recommended due to the steep decrease of systolic and diastolic blood pressures.


2013 ◽  
Vol 33 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Du ◽  
Jingwan Zhang ◽  
Alexander Clowes ◽  
David Dichek

Background Autogenous vein grafts are effective therapies for obstructive arterial disease. However, their long-term utility is limited by stenosis and occlusion. Genetic engineering of veins that prevents intimal hyperplasia and atherosclerosis could significantly improve the clinical utility of vein grafts. We recently reported that a helper-dependent adenoviral vector (HDAd) reduces atherosclerosis 4 wks after gene transfer in fat-fed rabbits and can express a therapeutic transgene (apo AI) in normal rabbit carotids for at least 48 wks. Use of HDAd for vein graft gene therapy will depend on achievement of similarly high and persistent transgene expression in grafted veins. Hypothesis We tested the hypothesis that Ad-mediated transgene expression in grafted veins (at an early time point) can be increased by varying the timing of gene transfer. Methods Rabbit external jugular veins were transduced by exposure to a beta galactosidase (b-gal)-expressing Ad: in situ either without (a) or with (b) immediate arterial grafting; c) ex vivo with grafting after overnight incubation with Ad; d) in vivo immediately after grafting and e) in vivo 4 wks after grafting (n = 6 - 19 veins/group). Transgene expression was measured in veins removed 3 d after Ad exposure by PCR quantitation of b-gal mRNA and by en-face planimetry of blue-stained area. Results B-gal transgene expression was higher in ungrafted veins than in veins grafted immediately after gene transfer (84 ± 17 vs 9.4 ± 2.0 arbitrary units (AU); P < 0.0001). Overnight incubation of veins with Ad increased gene expression ex vivo by 10-fold but neither this nor performing vector infusion immediately after grafting improved gene expression (11 ± 4.7 and 9.1 ± 1.8 AU; P > 0.9 for both vs immediately grafted veins). Delaying gene transfer until 4 wks after grafting significantly increased gene expression, to a level equivalent to transgene expression in ungrafted veins (61 ± 11 AU; P = 0.3 vs ungrafted veins). En face planimetry yielded similar results. Conclusions Exposure of a transduced vein to arterial blood flow is associated with significant loss of transgene expression. Transgene expression in grafted veins is significantly higher when gene transfer is performed 4 wks after exposure of the vein to arterial blood flow.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (9_suppl) ◽  
pp. 41-46
Author(s):  
Marion J Perren ◽  
Wasyl Feniuk ◽  
Patrick Pa Humphrey

The haemodynamic effects of the selective 5-HT1-like agonist GR43175 have been compared with that of ergotamine in anaesthetized cats. Both GR43175 (30–1000 μg/kg intravenously) and ergotamine (0.3–30 μg/kg intravenously) caused a dose-dependent reduction in the proportion of cardiac output passing through arteriovenous anastomoses (AVAs). However, unlike GR43175, the effect of ergotamine (30 μg/kg intravenously) was associated with marked increases in diastolic blood pressure and total peripheral resistance. In further studies, the effect of GR43175 on the distribution of blood flow within the carotid bed has been examined. GR43175 caused a reduction in total carotid arterial blood flow which was entirely due to a reduction in flow through carotid AVAs. These results demonstrate that GR43175, unlike ergotamine, has a highly selective vasoconstrictor action on AVAs within the cranial circulation of anaesthetized cats. Such a mechanism may be important in its antimigraine activity.


1992 ◽  
Vol 263 (6) ◽  
pp. H1847-H1854 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Fleming ◽  
G. L. Anderson ◽  
J. Chen

This study addressed the hypothesis that an increase in blood pressure contributes to the overall constrictive response of skeletal muscle arterioles to angiotensin II (ANG II). Diameters of second-order arterioles (2A) and third-order arterioles (3A) in the rat cremaster muscle were quantitated after intravenous administration of ANG II. Hindquarter blood pressure was either allowed to increase or was maintained at normal levels. Constriction of 3A to bolus injection of ANG II was the same whether hindquarter pressure increased or not. However, the total vascular constrictive response of the cremaster muscle (based on 2A blood flow) and of the entire hindquarter (based on iliac arterial blood flow) to bolus ANG II was greater when hindquarter pressure was held constant. During slow infusion of ANG II, 3A constriction was unaffected by an abrupt decrease or increase in hindquarter pressure. However, an abrupt reduction of hindquarter pressure caused a significant decline in hindquarter vascular resistance. Thus an increase in blood pressure, whether rapid or gradual, does not influence 3A constriction to ANG II. However, in the entire hindquarter, a rapid rise in blood pressure opposes constriction to ANG II, whereas a gradual pressure rise evokes a mechanism that enhances constrictive response to the peptide


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ru-Lan Hsieh ◽  
Wei-Cheng Liao ◽  
Wen-Chung Lee

Infrared (IR) therapy is used for pain relief in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, IR’s effects on the cardiovascular system remain uncertain. Therefore, we investigated the local and systemic cardiovascular effects of monochromatic IR therapy on patients with knee OA in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Seventy-one subjects with knee OA received one session of 40 min of active or placebo monochromatic IR treatment (with power output of 6.24 W, wavelength of 890 nm, power density of 34.7 mW/cm2for 40 min, total energy of 41.6 J/cm2per knee per session) over the knee joints. Heart rate, blood pressure, and knee arterial blood flow velocity were periodically assessed at the baseline, during, and after treatment. Data were analyzed by repeated-measure analysis of covariance. Compared to baseline, there were no statistically significant group x time interaction effects between the 2 groups for heart rate (P=0.160), blood pressure (systolic blood pressure:P=0.861; diastolic blood pressure:P=0.757), or mean arterial blood flow velocity (P=0.769) in follow-up assessments. The present study revealed that although there was no increase of knee arterial blood flow velocity, monochromatic IR therapy produced no detrimental systemic cardiovascular effects.


2010 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. e449
Author(s):  
Leila Satarian ◽  
Fereshteh Motamedi ◽  
Abolhasan Ahmadiani ◽  
Saeed Esmaeili-Mahani ◽  
Mohammad Javan

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (24) ◽  
pp. 1351-1358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulev Kõks ◽  
Ursel Soomets ◽  
Mario Plaas ◽  
Anton Terasmaa ◽  
Klari Noormets ◽  
...  

The Wfs1 gene codes for a protein with unknown function, but deficiency in this protein results in a range of neuropsychiatric and neuroendocrine syndromes. In the present study we aimed to find the functional networks influenced by Wfs1 in the hypothalamus. We performed gene expression profiling (Mouse Gene 1.0 ST Arrays) in Wfs1-deficient mice; 305 genes were differentially expressed with nominal P value < 0.01. FDR (false discovery rate)-adjusted P values were significant (0.007) only for two genes: C4b (t=9.66) and Wfs1 ( t = −9.03). However, several genes related to G protein signaling were very close to the FDR-adjusted significance level, such as Rgs4 (regulator of G protein signaling 4) that was downregulated (−0.34, t = −5.4) in Wfs1-deficient mice. Changes in Rgs4 and C4b expression were confirmed by QRT-PCR. In humans, Rgs4 is in the locus for bipolar disease (BPD), and its expression is downregulated in BPD. C4b is a gene related to the neurodegenerative diseases. Functional analysis including the entire data set revealed significant alterations in the canonical pathway “G protein-coupled receptor signaling.” The gene expression profile in the hypothalami of the Wfs1 mutant mice was significantly similar to the profiles of following biological functions: psychological disorders, bipolar disorder, mood disorder. In conclusion, hypothalamic gene expression profile resembles with some molecular pathways functionally related to the clinical syndromes in the Wolfram syndrome patients.


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