Nitric oxide synthase gene knockout mice do not become hypertensive during pregnancy

• Published in: American journal of obstetrics and gynecology 2001-11, Vol.185 (5), p.1198-1203
• Main Authors: Shesely, Edward G., Gilbert, Carrie, Granderson, George, Carretero, C.Dolores, Carretero, Oscar A., Beierwaltes, William H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Pressure - physiology; Diseases of mother, fetus and pregnancy; Female; gene knockout; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; hypertension; isoforms; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Knockout - genetics; mutant; Nitric oxide; Nitric Oxide Synthase - deficiency; Nitric Oxide Synthase - genetics; Nitric Oxide Synthase - physiology; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; Pregnancy; Pregnancy, Animal - physiology; Pregnancy. Fetus. Placenta
• ISSN: 0002-9378; 1097-6868
• DOI: 10.1067/mob.[phone]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether omitting the vasodilator nitric oxide that is derived from any 1 of the 3 isoforms of nitric oxide synthase results in hypertension during pregnancy. Study Design: We measured systolic blood pressure before, during, and after pregnancy using an automated tail cuff method in 3 mutant (gene knockout) mouse strains in which the gene for neuronal nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide, or endothelial nitric oxide was disrupted by gene targeting. Results: In neuronal nitric oxide gene knockout mice (n = 10), blood pressure was 100 ± 3 mm Hg, not significantly different from 101 ± 3 mm Hg in matched wild-type control mice (n = 10). Pregnancy did not change blood pressure or heart rate in either group. In inducible nitric oxide gene knockout mice (n = 9), blood pressure was 110 ± 3 mm Hg, the same as in the wild-type control mice (110 ± 2 mm Hg; n = 14). Blood pressure was unaffected by pregnancy in either group of mice. However, heart rate was significantly less in knockout mice (647 ± 11 beats/min vs 666 ± 9 beats/min; P