Altered endothelial function in isolated human myometrial vessels induced by plasma from women with pre-eclampsia is not reproducible in isolated mouse vessels.

In order to facilitate characterization of the circulating factor(s) in pre-eclampsia, the present study aimed to determine whether plasma from women with pre-eclampsia, which induces attenuated endothelial-dependent relaxation in human myometrial arteries, is also capable of inducing altered endothelial function in mouse vessels. Human vessels were isolated from myometrial biopsies taken from women with uncomplicated pregnancies (n = 6). Mesenteric and uterine arteries were isolated from male, female, non-pregnant and pregnant C57B mice (n = 24). Vessels were studied using a wire myograph and incubated with plasma (2%) from women with pre-eclampsia (n = 12) or controls (n = 12). Incubation of myometrial vessels from normal pregnant women with plasma from women with pre-eclampsia reduced endothelial-dependent relaxation. This effect was not reproduced in male or female mouse mesenteric or uterine vessels incubated with plasma from women with pre-eclampsia. In conclusion, there are species-specific differences in the actions of the circulating factor(s) on endothelial-dependent relaxation of human and mouse small arteries.