Vitamin D Supplementation Prevents Placental Ischemia Induced Endothelial Dysfunction by Downregulating Placental Soluble FMS-Like Tyrosine Kinase-1.

Maternal vitamin D deficiency in pregnancy has been associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia. Vascular endothelial dysfunction is a major phenotype of pregnancies with preeclampsia, contributing to increased maternal hypertension and proteinuria. We sought to determine whether vitamin D supplementation would alleviate preeclampsia associated endothelial dysfunction and explore the underlying mechanism using the reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rat model.