Parathyroid hormone-related protein-induced relaxation of rat uterine arteries: influence of the endothelium during gestation.

Objective: Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) has been reported to relax different vessels. We investigated the influence of both endothelium and gestation on the relaxation of uterine arteries (UA), which supply blood to myometrium and placenta.

Methods: Small uterine and mesenteric arteries (MA) with (E+) and without endothelium (E-) from day 20 pregnant (P) and nonpregnant (NP) rats were mounted in a myograph, precontracted with phenylephrine (PE) in a physiologic salt solution.

Effect of i1 imidazoline receptor agonist, moxonidine, in nitric oxide-deficient hypertension in pregnant rats.

Decreased nitric oxide production has been reported in preeclampsia, which is also frequently associated with glucose intolerance. It was thus considered of interest to investigate the effects of moxonidine, a centrally acting antihypertensive drug that reduces insulin resistance, in a rat model of preeclampsia. Hypertension was induced in Wistar rats by dietary l-NNA (N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine, 0.