Abstract
Low birth weight is a suggested risk factor for the development of hypertension. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a model of intrauterine growth restriction produced in response to placental insufficiency in the pregnant rat was associated with marked elevations in blood pressure. Reduced uterine perfusion initiated in late gestation resulted in low-birth-weight offspring (5.8±0.1 versus 6.6±0.2 g, PPPPPPP−1 · g−1 kidney), despite marked decreases in body weight (305±9 versus 343±10 g, P<0.05). These data suggest that placental insufficiency induced by reduced uterine perfusion in the pregnant rat results in low-birth-weight offspring predisposed to development of hypertension.