# Mechanisms of Cardiorenal Disease following Preeclampsia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR · 2021 · $381,250

## Abstract

Preeclampsia is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and death worldwide today,
affecting approximately 5% of all pregnancies in the United States. Preeclampsia is characterized
by hypertension during the second half of pregnancy and progressive development of proteinuria,
along with systemic endothelial dysfunction. The risk to the mother does not end with delivery of
the fetoplacental unit however. Women who experience preeclampsia have a heightened risk for
hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease, but the mechanisms that contribute to
cardiovascular and renal disease following preeclampsia are unclear. Therefore, there is a vital
need for the determination of optimal therapeutic regimens for women following preeclampsia.
Unfortunately, the lack of a spontaneous animal model of preeclampsia has been an obstacle in
the identification of the mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets during and following
preeclampsia. Our exciting preliminary data show that the Dahl Salt Sensitive (Dahl S) rat
spontaneously develops characteristics of preeclampsia during pregnancy that are similar to the
human disease and has accelerated cardiorenal disease and immune activation that persists
postpartum. This model will allow us to significantly advance our knowledge by examining the
long-term impact of preeclamptic pregnancy on endothelial function, progression of kidney
disease, and immune activation in females with pre-existing hypertension and determine if
intensive perinatal management of blood pressure will improve long term cardiovascular health
outcomes. This project will test the central hypothesis that preeclampsia results in a lasting
postpartum immunological activation that predisposes the mother to progression of endothelial
dysfunction and CKD. This research will have a significant impact on the field by 1) providing an
understanding of mechanisms that contribute to the long term increased risk of cardiorenal
disease following preeclamptic pregnancy and 2) providing preclinical studies to inform decisions
regarding the perinatal care for women at risk of developing preeclampsia. Therefore, this work
has important clinical and translational value as these findings could ultimately help us identify
novel therapeutic targets to improve outcomes for women with a history of preeclampsia and
identify treatment regimens to attenuate the long term risk of cardiovascular death in these
women.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10074148
- **Project number:** 5R01HL134711-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL R GARRETT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $381,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-01-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10074148

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10074148, Mechanisms of Cardiorenal Disease following Preeclampsia (5R01HL134711-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10074148. Licensed CC0.

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