Vascular leak in a rat model of preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder which develops de novo in women during pregnancy. The urinary excretion of the cardiotonic steroid, marinobufagenin (MBG), is increased prior to the development of hypertension. Preeclamptic patients are volume expanded but much of the excess salt and water appears to be located primarily in the interstitial space. Therefore, 'capillary leak' syndrome has been postulated in this disorder.


METHODS
We evaluated the vascular leakage in normal rats following MBG injection and in a rat model of human preeclampsia. We measured the changes in light intensity comparing that in the intravascular to the extravascular space by assessing 'leak' of fluorescein-labeled albumin (FITC-albumin) from mesenteric postcapillary venules.


RESULTS
FITC-albumin extravasation continued to increase in a time-dependent fashion after MBG infusion and was significant (p < 0.05) at 60 min of observation when compared to sham rats. We also observed a significant difference in 'vascular leakage' in preeclamptic rats compared to control non-pregnant and normal pregnant groups starting at 20 min after the FITC-albumin infusion.


CONCLUSIONS
We propose that MBG is involved in the production of a 'vascular leak' in our rat model of preeclampsia.
Uddin
Mohammad N
MN
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center/Scott & White, Temple, Tex., USA.
McLean
Luciana B
LB
Hunter
Felicia A
FA
Horvat
Darijana
D
Severson
Judson
J
Tharakan
Binu
B
Childs
Ed W
EW
Puschett
Jules B
JB
D000818:Animals; D002018:Bufanolides / Q000494:pharmacology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D053181:Caspase 8 / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013256:Steroids / Q000378:metabolism; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
D002018:Bufanolides; D013256:Steroids; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; C093896:marinobufagenin; D053148:Caspase 3; D053181:Caspase 8