Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension. Epidemiological studies have associated preeclampsia with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as autism and schizophrenia. Preeclampsia has also been linked with maternal vitamin D deficiency, anothe...
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MDPI AG
2021-11-01
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| Series: | Nutrients |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4254 |
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| author | Asad Ali Suzanne Alexander Pauline Ko James S. M. Cuffe Andrew J. O. Whitehouse John J. McGrath Darryl Eyles |
| author_facet | Asad Ali Suzanne Alexander Pauline Ko James S. M. Cuffe Andrew J. O. Whitehouse John J. McGrath Darryl Eyles |
| author_sort | Asad Ali |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension. Epidemiological studies have associated preeclampsia with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as autism and schizophrenia. Preeclampsia has also been linked with maternal vitamin D deficiency, another candidate risk factor also associated with autism. Our laboratory has established a gestational vitamin-D-deficient rat model that shows consistent and robust behavioural phenotypes associated with autism- and schizophrenia-related animal models. Therefore, we explored here whether this model also produces preeclampsia as a possible mediator of behavioural phenotypes in offspring. We showed that gestational vitamin D deficiency was not associated with maternal blood pressure or proteinuria during late gestation. Maternal and placental angiogenic and vasculogenic factors were also not affected by a vitamin-D-deficient diet. We further showed that exposure to low vitamin D levels did not expose the placenta to oxidative stress. Overall, gestational vitamin D deficiency in our rat model was not associated with preeclampsia-related features, suggesting that well-described behavioural phenotypes in offspring born to vitamin-D-deficient rat dams are unlikely to be mediated via a preeclampsia-related mechanism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:24:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f0d61500607d4310af83004962fe27eb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T03:24:55Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-f0d61500607d4310af83004962fe27eb2023-11-23T09:55:06ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432021-11-011312425410.3390/nu13124254Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce PreeclampsiaAsad Ali0Suzanne Alexander1Pauline Ko2James S. M. Cuffe3Andrew J. O. Whitehouse4John J. McGrath5Darryl Eyles6Neurobiology, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaNeurobiology, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaNeurobiology, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaPlacental Endocrinology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaAutism Research Team, Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, AustraliaNeurobiology, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaNeurobiology, Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, AustraliaPreeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder characterized by hypertension. Epidemiological studies have associated preeclampsia with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, such as autism and schizophrenia. Preeclampsia has also been linked with maternal vitamin D deficiency, another candidate risk factor also associated with autism. Our laboratory has established a gestational vitamin-D-deficient rat model that shows consistent and robust behavioural phenotypes associated with autism- and schizophrenia-related animal models. Therefore, we explored here whether this model also produces preeclampsia as a possible mediator of behavioural phenotypes in offspring. We showed that gestational vitamin D deficiency was not associated with maternal blood pressure or proteinuria during late gestation. Maternal and placental angiogenic and vasculogenic factors were also not affected by a vitamin-D-deficient diet. We further showed that exposure to low vitamin D levels did not expose the placenta to oxidative stress. Overall, gestational vitamin D deficiency in our rat model was not associated with preeclampsia-related features, suggesting that well-described behavioural phenotypes in offspring born to vitamin-D-deficient rat dams are unlikely to be mediated via a preeclampsia-related mechanism.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4254maternal vitamin D deficiencypreeclampsiaplacental insufficienciesrenin–angiotensin systemoxidative stress |
| spellingShingle | Asad Ali Suzanne Alexander Pauline Ko James S. M. Cuffe Andrew J. O. Whitehouse John J. McGrath Darryl Eyles Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia Nutrients maternal vitamin D deficiency preeclampsia placental insufficiencies renin–angiotensin system oxidative stress |
| title | Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia |
| title_full | Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia |
| title_fullStr | Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia |
| title_short | Developmental Vitamin D Deficiency in Pregnant Rats Does Not Induce Preeclampsia |
| title_sort | developmental vitamin d deficiency in pregnant rats does not induce preeclampsia |
| topic | maternal vitamin D deficiency preeclampsia placental insufficiencies renin–angiotensin system oxidative stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/12/4254 |
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