title: Blood pressure and heart rate changes during pregnancy in fructose-fed Sprague-Dawley rats.
abstract: Blood pressure and heart rate changes during pregnancy were investigated in fructose-fed (diabetic) Sprague-Dawley rats. A total of 48 pubertal female rats were used. The experimental rats were fed with 25% (w/w) fructose mixed with normal rat chow for minimum period of 3 weeks while the control rats were fed with the normal rat chow. They all had free access to drinking water. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial blood pressures and the heart rates were measured in both non-pregnant and pregnant control rats and their diabetic counterparts. The results indicate that systolic blood pressures significantly increased progressively during pregnancy in fructose-fed rats as compared with the non-pregnant rats (P < 0.0001) while in the control rats, except for the 2nd trimester sub-group, which had a similar value with the non-pregnant sub-group, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) also, increased steadily. When the diabetic group is compared with the control group, the SBP (in the 2nd trimester sub-groups) was raised from 82.18 +/- 1.26 mmHg in control rats to 112.48 +/- 1.26 mmHg in the diabetic rats (P < 0.0001). Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) progressively increased significantly in the diabetic rats from 63.94 +/- 3.95 mmHg in the non-pregnant sub-group to 91.95 +/- 1.89 mmHg in the 3rd trimester sub-group of the pregnant rats (P < 0.0001). The DBP of the 2nd trimester sub-group of the diabetic rats was significantly raised from 61.88 +/- 4.20 mmHg in the control rats to 89.60 +/- 1.79 mmHg in the diabetic rats (P < 0.0001). In addition, the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was significantly raised in the 1st and 2nd trimester of the diabetic rats from 70.61 +/- 3.12 mmHg in the non-pregnant diabetic rats to 96.28 +/- 1.36 mmHg and 97.13 +/- 1.15 mmHg respectively, (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001). There was a progressive increase in the heart rates, in both control and diabetic groups, from non-pregnant sub-groups to the 3 trimesters of pregnancy. The body weights of the 2 groups of rats increased significantly as pregnancy progressed. These results suggest that fructose-induced diabetes could cause the development of sustained hypertension during pregnancy via the insulin-resistance-hyperinsulinemia-link.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001835:Body Weight; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011254:Pregnancy in Diabetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D005632:Fructose