Abstract 038: MiR-210 Overexpression Induces sFlt1 Production and Contributes to Preeclampsia-like Symptoms in Pregnant Mice

Preeclampsia (PE) is an obstetric complication that is diagnosed by hypertension and proteinuria at or after 20 weeks of gestation. PE is a multifactorial disease, but it is widely accepted that impaired proangiogenic factors such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), placental growth factor (PlGF) and antiangiogenic factor such as soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt1) or VEGF receptor-1 balance during pregnancy is linked to PE. sFlt1, a splice variant of Flt1 binds to either VEGF or PlGF and blocks their action. In addition, placental angiogenesis is known to be regulated by specific miRNAs that are typically dysregulated during PE highlighting the importance of these miRNAs in pregnancy disorders. miR-210 is upregulated in placentas and serum/plasma of PE women and is also known to modulate angiogenic pathways. Therefore, we hypothesized that miR-210 overexpression contributes to the development of PE-like symptoms by altering the angiogenic/antiangiogenic pathway. To this end, we demonstrate increased systolic blood pressure (SBP: miR-210 TG P = 115 ± 2 mm Hg vs. WT P = 95 ± 2 mm Hg, p