title: Intermittent maternal hypoxia has an influence on regional expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in fetal arteries of rabbits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Maternal hypoxia induces sustained fetal adaptations associated with changes in gene expression. We hypothesized that intermittent maternal hypoxia has an influence on regional expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in fetal arteries of New Zealand White rabbits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Timed-pregnant New Zealand White rabbits (term = 30 ± 1 d) were randomly assigned to a normoxic control group (n = 5) or a hypoxia group (12% O2, n = 5) during days 10-29 of pregnancy. At the end of pregnancy (29 d gestation), blood samples were collected from mothers and fetuses. Carotid and femoral arteries of fetuses were extracted for eNOS mRNA and protein concentration and analysis of total NOS activities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data demonstrate that chronic intermittent maternal hypoxia significantly increased eNOS mRNA and protein concentrations and total NOS activities in carotid artery segments but decreased eNOS mRNA and protein concentrations and total NOS activities in femoral artery segments in the same fetuses. Vascular endothelial cells, but not smooth muscle cells, of fetal rabbits exhibited positive immunostaining for the eNOS protein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These observations suggest that chronic hypoxia can regulate regional expression of eNOS as an adaptive response to hypoxic stress in fetal arteries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Quanzhou Medical College, Quanzhou, China.
authors.forename: You-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhen-Hua
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhi-Kui
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Guo-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferrari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000196:embryology* / Q000201:enzymology; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000201:enzymology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009929:Organ Size; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III