CHANGES IN BLOOD PRESSURE AND FETAL DEVELOPMENT IN DOCA-SALT HYPERTENSIVE PREGNANT RATS

Abstract

In this study, DOCA-salt hypertensive (DSH) rats were used as the experimental model of hypertension in pregnancy, and changes in blood pressure, pressor response to norepinephrine (NE), and fetal development were investigated.
The results were as follows :
1) In DSH pregnant rats, the systolic blood pressure significantly decreased in late gestation, and this decrease was remarkable.
2) In middle and late gestation, the pressor response to NE significantly decreased in DSH pregnant rats compared with DSH nonpregnant rats.
3) The mean weight of the fetuses of DSH pregnant rats was significantly less than that of normotensive pregnant rats.
In conclusion, these results suggest that refractoriness to pressor agents might play an important role in blood pressure in DSH pregnant rats and that the DSH pregnant rat is a useful model for investigating intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR).