Effects of Pravastatin on Human Placenta, Endothelium, and Women With Severe Preeclampsia

Fiona C Brownfoot; Stephen Tong; Natalie J Hannan; Natalie K Binder; Susan P Walker; Ping Cannon; Roxanne Hastie; Kenji Onda; Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino

Journal article

Effects of Pravastatin on Human Placenta, Endothelium, and Women With Severe Preeclampsia

Fiona C Brownfoot, Stephen Tong, Natalie J Hannan, Natalie K Binder, Susan P Walker, Ping Cannon, Roxanne Hastie, Kenji Onda, Tu'uhevaha J Kaitu'u-Lino

HYPERTENSION | LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS | Published : 2015

DOI: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.115.05445

Abstract

UNLABELLED: Preeclampsia is a major pregnancy complication where excess placental release of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1) and soluble endoglin causes maternal endothelial and multisystem organ injury. Clinical trials have commenced examining whether pravastatin can be used to treat preeclampsia. However, the preclinical evidence supporting pravastatin as a treatment is limited to animal models, with almost no studies in human tissues. Therefore, we examined whether pravastatin reduced sFlt-1 and soluble endoglin secretion and decreased endothelial dysfunction in primary human tissues. Pravastatin reduced sFlt-1 secretion from primary endothelial cells, purified cytotrophoblast..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Tu'uhevaha Kaitu'u-Lino Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Roxanne Hastie Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Susan Walker Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Stephen Tong Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

Fiona Brownfoot Author Obstetrics and Gynaecology Royal Women's Hospital/Mercy

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Grants

Awarded by National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)

Awarded by NHMRC

Funding Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC; no. 1048707 and 1046484) and an Arthur Wilson RANZCOG scholarship. F. Brownfoot was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award and an AVANT scholarship. The NHMRC provided salary support (no. 1050765 to S. Tong, 1062418 to T.J.K. Lino, and 628927 to N.J. Hannan).