Serum Collected from Preeclamptic Pregnancies Drives Vasoconstriction of Human Omental Arteries—A Novel Ex Vivo Model of Preeclampsia for Therapeutic Development

Abstract

New-onset maternal hypertension is a hallmark of preeclampsia, driven by widespread endothelial dysfunction and systemic vasoconstriction. Here, we set out to create a new ex vivo model using preeclamptic serum to cause injury to the endothelium, mimicking vascular dysfunction in preeclampsia and offering the potential to evaluate candidate therapeutic interventions. Human omental arteries were collected at caesarean section from normotensive pregnant patients at term (n = 9). Serum was collected from pregnancies complicated by preterm preeclampsia (birth 37 weeks’ gestation, n = 5), and healthy gestation-matched controls (preterm n = 16, term n = 12). Using wire myography, we performed ex ..