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RecruitingEarly Phase 1

Vascular Effects of High-Salt After Preeclampsia

Role of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction After Preeclampsia

Who can join

As published by the study on ClinicalTrials.gov. "Not stated" means the study hasn't said — ask the study team.

Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Sex
Female only
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Compensation
Not stated

Other requirements are listed under Eligibility below. Only the study team can confirm whether you can join.

What to expect

No one can promise a trial will help you personally — that is what the research is trying to find out.

What participation involves

Not stated in the study description — ask the study team about visits and procedures.

Compensation
Not stated
  • Study-related exams and procedures are typically provided at no cost. This is how many trials work in general — confirm the details for this study with the study team.
  • Participants are monitored closely by the research team throughout the study.
  • Some participants may receive access to an investigational treatment, which is still being studied.
  • Your participation helps researchers learn whether this approach could help future patients.

About this study

In plain language

This study looks at how high salt intake affects small blood vessels after pregnancy and whether blocking a signal that helps control blood pressure may help them work better. It tests blood vessels in a small area of skin. It is for women who gave birth 12 weeks to 5 years ago, with or without preeclampsia, a pregnancy condition involving high blood pressure.

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. Importantly, women who had preeclampsia have an exaggerated vascular responsiveness to hypertensive stimuli, such as high-salt intake, compared to women who had a healthy pregnancy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to impaired endothelial function and dysregulation of the angiotensin system that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum, despite the remission of clinical symptoms. While the association between a history of preeclampsia and vascular dysfunction leading to elevated CVD risk is well known, the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vascular mineralocorticoid receptor, the terminal receptor in the angiotensin system that contributes to blood pressure regulation, in mediating exaggerated microvascular endothelial dysfunction before and after a high-salt stimulus. This will help us better understand the mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction these women, and how inhibition of these receptors may improve microvascular function. In this study, we use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed for examining mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in humans. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) we examine the blood vessels in a nickel-sized area of the skin.

Compensation is read from the study's own description and may be missing — always confirm with the study team.

Eligibility

Who can join

  • Women who had preeclampsia and women who did not.
  • Gave birth 12 weeks to 5 years ago.
  • Are 18 to 45 years old.

Who can't join

  • Had high blood pressure or a metabolic disease, which affects how the body uses food for energy, before pregnancy.
  • Had diabetes during pregnancy, or high blood pressure during pregnancy without preeclampsia.
  • Have a skin disease.
  • Currently use tobacco.
  • Currently take blood pressure medicine, or take statins or other cholesterol-lowering medicine.
  • Are pregnant now.
  • Have a body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight compared with height, below 18.5.
  • Have an allergy to study materials, such as latex, study drugs, or the salt supplement.

Simplified for readability. The official criteria below are what the study team uses.

Official eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * women who had preeclampsia and women who did not have preeclampsia * 12 weeks to 5 years postpartum * 18-45 years old Exclusion Criteria: * history of hypertension or metabolic disease before pregnancy * history of gestational diabetes * history of gestational hypertension without preeclampsia * skin diseases * current tobacco use * current antihypertensive medication * statin or other cholesterol-lowering medication * currently pregnant * body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2 * allergy to materials used during the experiment.(e.g. latex), * known allergy to study drugs or salt-supplement

Study sites (1)

IA