Plasma from pre‐eclamptic women and functional change in myometrial resistance arteries

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Abstract
This study assesses the ability of plasma from women with pre‐eclampsia to induce altered endothelial function in myometrial resistance vessels from normotensive women. Vessels from normotensive pregnant women (n= 7) were incubated with plasma from other pregnant women who were normotensive (n= 6)or had pre‐eclampsia (n= 7). A wire myograph was used to test the endothelium‐dependent relaxatory response to bradykinin of preconstricted vessels. The relaxation in vessels incubated with plasma from women with pre‐eclampsia was markedly less than in vessels incubated with plasma from normotensive pregnant women (P = 0.039). This supports the theory that a plasma‐borne factor contributes to the endothelial changes seen in pre‐eclampsia.