Abstract P310: Atuplex Formulated With Small Interfering RNA For Soluble Fms-like Tyrosine Kinase-1 (sFLT1) Selectively Silences Maternal And Placental sFLT1 In A Preeclamptic Rat Model [Session Title: Pregnancy and Preeclampsia and Developmental Programming of Cardiovascular Disease]

Preeclampsia is a pregnancy-related disorder characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, affecting about 5-8% of pregnancies. It is a major cause of fetal and maternal morbidity/mortality. The disease is most probably multifactorial and caused by several placental dysfunctions. As an important mediator, sFLT1 is induced in the placenta and in the serum of preeclamptic women, acting as a decoy receptor for placenta like growth factors (PLGF) and inducing an antiangiogenic balance. RNAi mediated gene specific silencing could represent a new therapeutic option in preeclampsia management. We tested sFLT1-specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) formulated with the liposomal siRNA delivery system AtuPLEX for the ability to ameliorate symptoms without deteriorating fetal health in an established rat model of preeclampsia. Transgenic rats expressing human angiotensinogen (hAGT) and renin (hREN) were crossed to produce a model of preeclampsia (PE rat) in the dams. Beginning on day 7 of gestation, transgenic hAGT dams were dosed intravenously with 2.8 mg/kg siRNA every third day through gestational day 19. Mean blood pressure was continuously recorded by radiotelemetry and 24 hour urine samples were collected in metabolic cages at day 17/18 of gestation. Rats were euthanized at day 21 of gestation. Biodistribution experiments showed that sFLT1 siRNA formulated with AtuPLEX delivers siRNA to the placenta but not to the embryo. In PE rats, our treatment was able to decrease sFLT1 mRNA ...
Source: Hypertension - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Poster Abstract Presentations Source Type: research