Postpartum administration of eplerenone to mitigate vascular dysfunction in mice following a preeclampsia-like pregnancy

Abstract

Preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy complication associated with substantial injury to systemic vasculature, major organs, and the feto-placental unit, with an approximate mortality rate of 76,000 pregnant women and 500,000 babies each year. Preeclampsia results in up to five-fold increased risk of cardiovascular disease. There is currently no cure and limited treatment options for preeclampsia and its long-term effects. In this study, we modelled preeclampsia in the mouse via nitric oxide blockade and examined the effect of therapeutic intervention during pregnancy (esomeprazole) and postpartum (eplerenone) on indices of cardiovascular health. Pregnant CBA x C57BL/6 mice received 50 mg/kg/da..