Angiotensin II type 1 receptor agonistic autoantibody blockade improves postpartum hypertension and cardiac mitochondrial function in rat model of preeclampsia

George W. Booz, Daniel Kennedy, Michael Bowling, Taprieka Robinson, Daniel Azubuike, Brandon Fisher, Karen Brooks, Pooja Chinthakuntla, Ngoc H. Hoang, Jonathan P. Hosler, Mark W. Cunningham

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

Women with preeclampsia (PE) have a greater risk of developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and renal disease later in life. Angiotensin II type I receptor agonistic autoantibodies (AT1-AAs) are elevated in women with PE during pregnancy and up to 2-year postpartum (PP), and in the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model of PE. Blockade of AT1-AA with a specific 7 amino acid peptide binding sequence (‘n7AAc’) improves pathophysiology observed in RUPP rats; however, the long-term effects of AT1-AA inhibition in PP is unknown. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups: normal pregnant (NP) (n = 16), RUPP (n = 15), and RUPP + ‘n7AAc’ (n = 16). Gestational day 14, RUPP surgery was performed and ‘n7AAc’ (144 μg/day) administered via osmotic minipump. At 10-week PP, mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and cardiac functions, and cardiac mitochondria function were assessed. MAP was elevated PP in RUPP vs. NP (126 ± 4 vs. 116 ± 3 mmHg, p < 0.05), but was normalized in in RUPP + ‘n7AAc’ (109 ± 3 mmHg) vs. RUPP (p < 0.05). PP heart size was reduced by RUPP + ’n7AAc’ vs. RUPP rats (p < 0.05). Complex IV protein abundance and enzymatic activity, along with glutamate/malate-driven respiration (complexes I, III, and IV), were reduced in the heart of RUPP vs. NP rats which was prevented with ‘n7AAc’. AT1-AA inhibition during pregnancy not only improves blood pressure and pathophysiology of PE in rats during pregnancy, but also long-term changes in blood pressure, cardiac hypertrophy, and cardiac mitochondrial function PP.

Original languageEnglish
Article number58
JournalBiology of Sex Differences
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2021

Keywords

  • Cardiac mitochondrial function
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Hypertension
  • Postpartum
  • Preeclampsia

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