Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026

Disruption of the Mouse Blood-Brain Barrier by Small Extracellular Vesicles from Hypoxic Human Placentas
Published on: January 26, 2024
Phosphodiesterase inhibitor effect on small artery function in preeclampsia
Rebekah A Samangaya1, Mark Wareing, Laurence Skillern
1Maternal & Fetal Health Research Centre, St. Mary's Hospital, Manchester, UK. rasmith@doctors.net.uk
Objective:
To determine if the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor, sildenafil citrate improves endothelial-dependent relaxation of small arteries from women with preeclampsia.
Methods:
Myometrial and omental biopsies were taken from women participating in a randomized placebo-controlled trial using sildenafil citrate in women with preeclampsia. Vasoconstriction and endothelial-dependent relaxation of small arteries was measured utilizing wire myography.
Results:
Vasoconstriction and endothelial-dependent relaxation of myometrial and omental arteries were not altered in women taking sildenafil.
Conclusion:
Acute effects may have been lost as sildenafil administration occurred many hours prior to myography. Plasma sildenafil levels may have been lower than required for vascular response.
Related Concept Videos
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors
Among the PDE5 inhibitors, sildenafil (Revatio) stands out as a competitive and selective inhibitor. It operates by elevating cellular levels of cGMP and augmenting signaling through the cGMP-PKG pathway, promoting vasodilation. Upon oral...
Antihypertensive Drugs: Vasodilators
Antihypertensive Drugs: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Prostacyclin Receptor Agonists
These agonists bind to the IPR receptor situated on the plasma membrane of the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. This binding triggers a cascade of reactions known as the GS-AC-cAMP-PKA pathway. This pathway results in the relaxation of smooth muscle...
Treatment for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Endothelin Receptor Antagonists
ETs are synthesized through a complex sequence of enzymatic steps, primarily involving an enzyme referred to as endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE). Of...
Hormonal Regulation
