A new model of diabetic pregnancy with genetic hypertension: pregnancy in spontaneously hypertensive rats with neonatal streptozotocin-induced diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
We designed this study to develop a new animal model of high-risk pregnancy complicated by hypertension and diabetes mellitus.


METHODS
Female spontaneously hypertensive rats were injected intraperitoneally with 75 mg/kg streptozotocin or vehicle as control at 2 days of age. They were mated with untreated male spontaneously hypertensive rats at 4 to 5 months of age.


RESULTS
Hyperglycemia, defined as > 20 mmol/L plasma glucose level, was maintained during pregnancy in streptozotocin-treated spontaneously hypertensive rats, and systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in the streptozotocin-treated group than in controls before delivery (p < 0.01). Furthermore, urinary albumin excretion was significantly increased in the streptozotocin-treated group during and after pregnancy compared with the prepregnant level (p < 0.05), whereas in controls it remained unchanged. The incidence of low birth weight was significantly higher in male neonates from streptozotocin-treated mothers than those from control mothers (p < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Neonatally streptozotocin-treated spontaneously hypertensive rats may be useful for studying the combined effect of hypertension and diabetes mellitus during pregnancy.
Wada
M
M
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Iwase
M
M
Wakisaka
M
M
Nunoi
K
K
Yoshinari
M
M
Fujishima
M
M
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D007774:Lactation / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000097:blood; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
D001786:Blood Glucose