The atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) knockout mouse does not exhibit the phenotypic features of pre-eclampsia or demonstrate fetal growth restriction

摘要

The ANP knockout mouse is reported to exhibit pregnancy-associated hypertension, proteinuria and impaired placental trophoblast invasion and spiral artery remodeling, key features of pre-eclampsia (PE). We hypothesized that these mice may provide a relevant model of human PE with associated fetal growth restriction (FGR). Here, we investigated pregnancies of ANP wild type (ANP^+/+), heterozygous (ANP^+/-) and knockout (ANP^−/-) mice. Maternal blood pressure did not differ between genotypes (E12.5, E17.5), and fetal weight (E18.5) was unaffected. Placental weight was greater in ANP^−/− versus ANP^+/+ mice. Therefore, in our hands, the ANP model does not express phenotypic features of PE with FGR.