The rat as a model for preeclampsia.

Several methods were used in an attempt to produce preeclampsia in the pregnant rat. Desoxycorticosterone acetate plus increased NaCl intake produced hypertension, proteinuria, rapid weight gain, convulsions, decreased litter size, decreased offspring weight, increased fetal and maternal mortality, and renal lesions similar to those seen in human preeclampsia. Injection of placenta in Freund's adjuvant produced mild blood pressure elevation and proteinuria in the pregnant rat. Rabbit antirat placenta serum produced hypertension in the pregnant rat but not in the nonpregnant rat. Liver congestion and renal glomerular congestion were observed in both pregnant and non-pregnant rats. Pregnancy in the rat reduced hypertension produced by applying a Goldblatt clamp prior to breeding. Uterine ischemia produced by wrapping the uterus in cellophane produced mild blood pressure elevation and proteinuria. A vitamin-E-deficient diet that contained substantial amounts of partially perioxidized, polyunsaturated fatty acids produced morphological lesions in the pregnant rat similar to those seen in human preeclampsia, but hypertension, edema, and proteinuria were absent. None of the maneuvers was effective in producing a complete model of human preeclampsia, but they do provide material for study that could answer somebasic questions about preeclampsia.