[Eclampsia induced by skin allografts in spontaneously hypertensive rats]

In order to develop an experimental model for eclampsia, 22 female inbred Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHR) were grafted with skin from Holtzman males. The implantation of four sequential grafts took place at an interval of ten days. Each SHR was mated with its corresponding skin donor ten days after the last graft. Five non grafted SHR mated with Holtzman males were used as controls. In most of the experimental rats that became pregnant we found changes which consisted in: low number of offspring, stillborn fetuses, abortions and growth delay. Renal function was evaluated before and during pregnancy showing a physiological increase in glomerular filtration of 7.5% (basal = 0.93 +/- 0.12 ml/min, peak = 1.00 +/- 0.12 ml/min) as compared with an increase of 166% (basal = 0.68 +/- 0.22 ml/min, peak = 1.85 +/- 0.33 ml/min) in the control group. Renal histology showed lesions corresponding to disseminated intravascular coagulation. These results indicate that the association of skin grafts and hypertension in these rats affects the normal development of pregnancy and suggest that immunological factors could be involved in experimental eclampsia.