Fetal programming in preeclampsia-like mouse models

Several complications of pregnancy are known to negatively affect offspring’s health on the long term. In this thesis we examine the consequences of preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication, on the offspring. This research was done in mouse models. Since preeclampsia does not occur spontaneously in mice, we compared three different mouse models that aim to mimic the maternal symptoms. In this comparison, both dams and offspring are analyzed at the end of gestation, and we found that both maternal symptoms as well as the consequences for the offspring are highly dependent on the model used. All models showed fetal growth restriction, in various degrees, and brain and liver alterations were found.Furthermore, we examined the long term consequences of gestational inflammation on the offspring. The offspring was analyzed until six months of age, while half of them were on a ‘western-style diet’, high in fat and sugar, and the other half a control diet. This study showed that female offspring that was exposed to inflammation and the western-style diet had a significantly higher food intake than their controls (females, western-style diet, not exposed to inflammation). This leads to weight gain and thereby to deteriorated blood markers (e.g. sugars). In male offspring, this increase in food intake was not observed.We conclude that preeclampsia and maternal inflammation do have consequences for offspring’s health, and that these consequences are highly dependent on the model used and the sex of the offspring