Funding outcome

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-specific disorder characterized by the development of high blood pressure in the second half of pregnancy, and is one of the main causes of maternal sickness and death. Even though the causes of preeclampsia are unknown, it is known that this condition ends only by delivery of the baby. Unfortunately, this condition was shown to impact maternal health later in life, as these women have an increased risk of developing heart and blood vessel disease. One of the diseases these women have a higher risk of developing is a condition called atherosclerosis, which is when fat deposits in the blood vessel, reduces the blood flow and leads to heart and blood vessel complications. Therefore, it is important to identify the mechanisms by which preeclampsia damages maternal health even many years after childbirth. These past years, our lab has been studying the role of a key molecule in preeclampsia called LOX-1, that is present in higher amounts in the blood vessels of women with preeclampsia and it is associated with blood vessel dysfunction. Interestingly, this LOX-1 has been studied in other non-pregnancy-related diseases such as obesity and diabetes, however, this mechanism has not been studied in women with a history of preeclampsia. Interestingly, other factors associated with LOX-1 such as 'bad cholesterol' are increased in these women, suggesting a potential role of LOX-1 in the postpartum effect of preeclampsia on maternal blood vessel function. For this study, we will use a mouse model of preeclampsia to evaluate its postpartum effects (3 months after delivery, which is similar to ~17 years post-partum in women). We will assess signs of atherosclerosis in the maternal blood vessels, such as injuries associated with fat deposits. We will also address whether LOX-1 is involved in this effect. This research will increase our understanding of the mechanisms behind the long-term effects of having had a preeclamptic pregnancy on women's health in order to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent these long-term effects in the future.