Issue 12, 2020

Prenatal vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure and improves placental angiogenesis in an animal model of preeclampsia

Abstract

Background: Preeclampsia (PE), a pregnancy complication, is characterized by abnormal placental angiogenesis. The current study examines the effect of vitamin D deficiency/supplementation on pregnancy outcome and placental angiogenesis using an animal model of PE. Methods: Pregnant Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control; PE; Vitamin D deficient with PE (VDD-PE) and Vitamin D supplemented with PE (VDS-PE). PE was induced by administering L-nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) at the dose of 50 mg per kg body weight per day from day 14 to day 19 gestation in all the 4 groups. During the pre-pregnancy and pregnancy period, the rats from the Control and PE groups were fed a control diet, the VDD-PE group received a vitamin D deficient diet and the VDS-PE group received a vitamin D supplemented diet. Dams were sacrificed at d20 of gestation. Results: L-NAME administration increased systolic as well as diastolic blood pressure in both PE and VDD-PE groups as compared to the control (p < 0.01). Vitamin D supplementation was beneficial in reducing the blood pressure. Vitamin D deficiency also lowered the placental protein levels of pro-angiogenic proteins VEGF and Flt-1 (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively), while the levels of these proteins in the VDS-PE group were similar to those in the control group. Vitamin D status did not influence the levels of PlGF and Hif1α. Conclusion: A low dose vitamin D supplementation given from pre-pregnancy and throughout pregnancy was beneficial in reducing the blood pressure and normalizing the placental levels of VEGF and Flt-1. This has implications for reducing the severity of preeclampsia.

Graphical abstract: Prenatal vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure and improves placental angiogenesis in an animal model of preeclampsia

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Jul 2020
Accepted
02 Nov 2020
First published
25 Nov 2020

Food Funct., 2020,11, 10413-10422

Prenatal vitamin D supplementation reduces blood pressure and improves placental angiogenesis in an animal model of preeclampsia

J. Nema, D. Sundrani and S. Joshi, Food Funct., 2020, 11, 10413 DOI: 10.1039/D0FO01782E

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