Functional vascular changes of the kidney during pregnancy in animals: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Renal vascular responses to pregnancy have frequently been studied, by investigating renal vascular resistance (RVR), renal flow, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and renal artery responses to stimuli. Nonetheless, several questions remain: 1. Which vasodilator pathways are activated and to what extent do they affect RVR, renal flow and GFR across species, strains and gestational ages, 2. Are these changes dependent on renal artery adaptation, 3. At which cellular level does pregnancy affect the involved pathways? In an attempt to answer the questions raised, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis on animal data. We included 37 studies (116 responses). At mid-gestation, RVR and GFR change to a similar degree across species and strains, accompanied by variable change in renal flow. At least in rats, changes depend on NO activation. At late gestation, changes in RVR, renal flow and GFR vary between species and strains. In rats, these changes are effectuated by sympathetic stimulation. Overall, renal artery responsiveness to stimuli is unaffected by pregnancy, except for Sprague Dawley rats in which pregnancy enhances renal artery vascular compliance and reduces renal artery myogenic reactivity. Our meta-analysis shows that: 1. Pregnancy changes RVR, renal flow and GFR dependent on NO-activation and sympathetic de-activation, but adjustments are different among species, strains and gestational ages; 2. These changes do not depend on adaptation of renal artery responsiveness; 3. It remains unknown at which cellular level pregnancy affects the pathways. Our meta-analysis suggests that renal changes during pregnancy in animals are qualitatively similar, even in comparison to humans, but quantitatively different.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboudumc, the Netherlands.
Joris
J
van Drongelen
Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation, Radboudumc, the Netherlands.
Rob
R
de Vries
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboudumc, the Netherlands.
Frederik K
FK
Lotgering
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Radboudumc, the Netherlands.
Paul
P
Smits
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Radboudumc, the Netherlands; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Research School GROW, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Marc E A
ME
Spaanderman
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D051381:Rats; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000502:physiology*; D012079:Renal Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology