- MeSH
- Chronic Disease MeSH
- Hypoxia * physiopathology MeSH
- Maternal-Fetal Exchange physiology MeSH
- Disease Models, Animal MeSH
- Perfusion methods MeSH
- Placenta blood supply MeSH
- Rats, Wistar * MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
The vessels on the fetal side of the placenta differ from most other vascular beds except the lungs in that they respond to acute hypoxia by vasoconstriction. An essential role of calcium influx in the mechanism of this hypoxic fetoplacental vasoconstriction (HFPV) has been shown previously. That finding does not, however, exclude the possible involvement of other mechanisms of vascular tone regulation. In this study we tested the hypothesis that Rho-kinase-mediated calcium sensitization is involved in HFPV. We used a model of isolated rat placenta dually perfused (from both the maternal and fetal side) with Krebs salt solution saturated with normoxic and hypoxic gas mixture respectively at constant flow rate. Rho-kinase pathway was inhibited by fasudil (10 μM). We found that fasudil reduced basal normoxic fetoplacental vascular resistance and completely prevented HFPV. This suggests that the activity of Rho-kinase signaling pathway is essential for HFPV.
- MeSH
- Vascular Resistance physiology MeSH
- Hypoxia metabolism physiopathology MeSH
- rho-Associated Kinases antagonists & inhibitors metabolism MeSH
- Placenta * blood supply MeSH
- Placental Circulation * physiology MeSH
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Calcium MeSH
- Vasoconstriction physiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Pregnancy MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- MeSH
- Dextrans diagnostic use MeSH
- Lymphography methods MeSH
- Dogs MeSH
- Radionuclide Imaging MeSH
- Check Tag
- Dogs MeSH
