title: Exercise training can attenuate preeclampsia-like features in an animal model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Exercise training benefits have been widely investigated and used as alternative treatment for different pathological conditions. Since preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy-associated disease for which no treatment is available, our aim was to investigate the protective role of exercise training on pregnancy outcome using a mouse model of the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used transgenic female mice overexpressing human angiotensinogen, which develop preeclampsia when mated with human renin-overexpressing males. Females were placed in exercise cages 4 weeks prior to mating, and remained in these throughout gestation. Blood pressure was measured by telemetry, and proteinuria was quantified by ELISA. Placentas were assessed by histology and immunohistochemistry, whereas vascular endothelial growth factor was measured by real-time PCR and immunoblot. Endothelial function was assessed in isolated mesenteric arteries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Conversely to sedentary transgenic females (131.20 ± 4.08 mmHg), trained dam's mean arterial pressure was no longer different from normal mice at the end of gestation (117.5 ± 10.6 vs. 112.3 ± 5.5 mmHg). Proteinuria observed in transgenic dams (3.364 ± 1.62 μg/mg) was absent in trained mice (0.894 ± 0.43 μg/mg). Placental disease and cardiac hypertrophy were also normalized, whereas vascular reactivity was significantly ameliorated. Furthermore, placental vascular endothelial growth factor was normalized in trained transgenic mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, we are the first to clearly demonstrate that exercise training both before and during gestation can reduce preeclampsia features in a mouse model. Consequently, women at risk for this disease could benefit from exercise training to protect themselves and their future fetuses.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre, Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal - Technopôle Angus, Montreal, Canada.
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Falcao
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bisotto
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: Andrée-Anne
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Lacasse
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaillancourt
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gutkowska
authors.forename: Julie L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lavoie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011247:Pregnancy