# Aspirin to prevent cardiac dysfunction in preeclampsia

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO · 2021 · $682,510

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Preeclampsia (PE) is a disease of late pregnancy characterized by hypertension and organ damage, which not
only increases peripartum morbidity but is associated with the postpartum development of heart failure,
including myocardial fibrosis and systolic heart failure. Despite two decades of research demonstrating this
association and a large public health burden, the molecular mechanisms mediating PE-induced postpartum
heart failure remain poorly understood and therapies to prevent this outcome are lacking. One potential trigger
may be the profibrotic growth factor Activin A, a member of the transforming growth factor beta family
produced by the placenta and inflammatory cells.
Using a randomized mechanistic clinical trial of aspirin vs. placebo for patients with preeclampsia, integrated
with studies of the mechanisms by which aspirin and Activin A might affect the heart, we will dramatically
advance knowledge of cardiac dysfunction in preeclampsia and its possible treatments. We pursue two specific
aims to answer these questions. AIM 1 is a randomized trial to test whether aspirin improves cardiac function
and decreases Activin A in women with preeclampsia. AIM 2 Identifies how increased plasma Activin A during
pregnancy causes postpartum cardiac dysfunction and how aspirin prevents it. This project innovates
methodologically and at the bench in order to dramatically advance our understanding of a major cause of
morbidity and mortality in women globally.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10121672
- **Project number:** 1R01HL148191-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Sajid Shahul
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $682,510
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2025-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10121672

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10121672, Aspirin to prevent cardiac dysfunction in preeclampsia (1R01HL148191-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10121672. Licensed CC0.

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