TY - JOUR
T1 - Uterine perivascular adipose tissue is a novel mediator of uterine artery blood flow and reactivity in rat pregnancy
AU - Osikoya, Oluwatobiloba
AU - Ahmed, Hijab
AU - Panahi, Sareh
AU - Bourque, Stephane L.
AU - Goulopoulou, Styliani
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by a UNTHSC Pilot Grant and start-up funds (SG). SLB is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator and is supported by CIHR (MOP142396) and the Women and Children’s Health Research Institute at the University of Alberta.
Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by a UNTHSC Pilot Grant and start-up funds (SG). SLB is a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Investigator and is supported by CIHR (MOP142396) and the Women and Children's Health Research Institute at the University of Alberta. We thank Dr Kirthikaa Balapattabi and Dr Lei Wang (Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of North Texas Health Science Centre (UNTHSC) for providing guidance regarding the quantitative PCR techniques and data analyses.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2019 The Physiological Society
PY - 2019/8/1
Y1 - 2019/8/1
N2 - Key points: In vivo, uterine perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) potentiates uterine artery blood flow in pregnant rats, although not in non-pregnant rats. In isolated preparations, uterine PVAT has pro-contractile and anti-dilatory effects on uterine arteries. Pregnancy induces changes in uterine arteries that makes them responsive to uterine PVAT signalling. Abstract: An increase in uterine artery blood flow (UtBF) is a common and necessary feature of a healthy pregnancy. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that adipose tissue surrounding uterine arteries (uterine perivascular adipose tissue; PVAT) is a novel local mediator of UtBF and uterine artery tone during pregnancy. In vivo experiments in anaesthetized Sprague–Dawley rats showed that pregnant animals (gestational day 16, term = 22––23 days) had a three-fold higher UtBF compared to non-pregnant animals. Surgical removal of uterine PVAT reduced UtBF only in pregnant rats. In a series of ex vivo bioassays, we demonstrated that uterine PVAT had pro-contractile and anti-dilatory effects on rat uterine arteries. In the presence of PVAT-conditioned media, isolated uterine arteries from both pregnant and non-pregnant rats had reduced vasodilatory responses. In non-pregnant rats, these responses were mediated at the level of uterine vascular smooth muscle, whereas, in pregnant rats, PVAT-media reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation. Pregnancy increased adipocyte size in ovarian adipose tissue but had no effect on uterine PVAT adipocyte morphology. In addition, pregnancy down-regulated the gene expression of metabolic adipokines in uterine but not in aortic PVAT. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that uterine PVAT plays a regulatory role in UtBF, at least in part, as a result of its actions on uterine artery tone. We propose that the interaction between the uterine vascular wall and its adjacent adipose tissue may provide new insights for interventions in pregnancies with adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal UtBF.
AB - Key points: In vivo, uterine perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) potentiates uterine artery blood flow in pregnant rats, although not in non-pregnant rats. In isolated preparations, uterine PVAT has pro-contractile and anti-dilatory effects on uterine arteries. Pregnancy induces changes in uterine arteries that makes them responsive to uterine PVAT signalling. Abstract: An increase in uterine artery blood flow (UtBF) is a common and necessary feature of a healthy pregnancy. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that adipose tissue surrounding uterine arteries (uterine perivascular adipose tissue; PVAT) is a novel local mediator of UtBF and uterine artery tone during pregnancy. In vivo experiments in anaesthetized Sprague–Dawley rats showed that pregnant animals (gestational day 16, term = 22––23 days) had a three-fold higher UtBF compared to non-pregnant animals. Surgical removal of uterine PVAT reduced UtBF only in pregnant rats. In a series of ex vivo bioassays, we demonstrated that uterine PVAT had pro-contractile and anti-dilatory effects on rat uterine arteries. In the presence of PVAT-conditioned media, isolated uterine arteries from both pregnant and non-pregnant rats had reduced vasodilatory responses. In non-pregnant rats, these responses were mediated at the level of uterine vascular smooth muscle, whereas, in pregnant rats, PVAT-media reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation. Pregnancy increased adipocyte size in ovarian adipose tissue but had no effect on uterine PVAT adipocyte morphology. In addition, pregnancy down-regulated the gene expression of metabolic adipokines in uterine but not in aortic PVAT. In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that uterine PVAT plays a regulatory role in UtBF, at least in part, as a result of its actions on uterine artery tone. We propose that the interaction between the uterine vascular wall and its adjacent adipose tissue may provide new insights for interventions in pregnancies with adipose tissue dysfunction and abnormal UtBF.
KW - adipose tissue
KW - blood flow
KW - pregnancy
KW - vasoconstriction
KW - vasodilation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068670772&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1113/JP277643
DO - 10.1113/JP277643
M3 - Article
C2 - 31165480
AN - SCOPUS:85068670772
SN - 0022-3751
VL - 597
SP - 3833
EP - 3852
JO - Journal of Physiology
JF - Journal of Physiology
IS - 15
ER -