Progesterone Supplementation Improves the Maternal Syndrome of Superimposed Preeclampsia in the Dahl Salt Sensitive Rats
Authors: Chambers Christy , Franks Michael , Harrell Ariel , Campbell Nathan , Safir Sarah , Turner Ty , Williams Jan Michael 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by new onset of hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation. It affects 5-7% of all pregnancies in the U.S., and is associated with reduced fetal weight, inflammation and hypertension (HTN). Importantly, 30% of HTN disorders in pregnancy are caused by chronic HTN that is present prior to pregnancy which increases the risk of superimposed PE (SIPE). The mechanisms responsible for the pathogenesis of PE and SIPE are unclear and currently the only treatment is early delivery of the fetus. Progesterone is important for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. We have previously shown that progesterone supplementation with 17-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17-OHPC) improves inflammation, fetal weight and blood pressure in the preclinical RUPP rat model of PE, however the mechanism for this in SIPE is still unknown. Hypothesis: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that 17-OHPC reduces inflammation while improving maternal blood pressure in the preclinical pregnant Dahl Salt Sensitive (DS) rat model of SIPE. Methods: 17-OHPC (3.32mg/kg) or vehicle (Saline) was administrated intraperitoneally on gestation day (GD) 15 to normal pregnant (NP) Sprague-Dawley (SD) and pregnant Dahl Salt Sensitive (DS) rats. On GD 18, Uterine Artery Resistance Index (UARI) was measured by Vevo Doppler Ultrasound and carotid catheters were inserted. On GD 19, mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and samples were collected. All data are expressed as mean ± standard error means (SEM). Results: MAP was 105±5 mmHg in SD+ Saline rats (n=7) and 105±4 mmHg in SD+17-OHPC rats (n=4), 137±3 mmHg in DS + Saline rats (p<0.05, n=11), which improved to 125±4 mmHg in DS+17-OHPC rats (p<0.05, n=7). Pup and Placenta weights were 2.1± 0.1 g, 0.6 ± 0.1 g in SD + saline rats and significantly reduced to 1.4±0.1 g, 0.5±0.1 g in DS+ Saline rats (p<0.05). Neither placental weight nor pup weight was affected by 17-OHPC. UARI was 0.5 ±0.1 in SD+ Saline rats (n=6) and 0.5 ±0.1 in in SD+17-OHPC (n=4), 0.7±0.1 in DS+Saline rats (n=6, p<0.05), which reduced to 0.5±0.1 in DS+17-OHPC (n=7, p<0.05). TNF-alpha levels were 3.0±1.0 pg/mL in SD+ Saline rats, 11.0±1.2 in DS + Saline rats, which reduced to 4.1±1.6 in DS+17-OHPC (n=4, p<0.05). Importantly, circulating and placental CD4+ T cells were 9.3±3.7 % Gate and 6.4± 1.6 % Gate in SD+ Saline rats (n=4), 38.9 ±2.9 % Gate and 33.1±4.3 % Gate in DS + Saline rats (n=6), which significantly reduced to 26.3 ± 0.1 % Gate and 3.4±1.2 % Gate in DS + 17-OHPC. Conclusion: Collectively, our findings demonstrate that 17-OHPC reduces inflammation and hypertension in the Dahl Salt Sensitive rat model of SIPE. Supported by NIH P20GM121334. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.