High-salt diet disturbs the physiological uterine endothelial junction remodeling during pregnancy

A high-salt diet (HSD) induced excessive sodium intake is a major risk factor for various diseases, including pregnancy disorder. We aim to explore the effects of HSD on uterine endothelial cell and remodeling of spiral artery during pregnancy in mice.

Blood pressure was monitored during pregnancy in control and HSD treated mice. Uterine endothelial were RNA-seq was used to profile the molecular basis for the adaptation of vascular endothelial cell during pregnancy. Salt accumulation in decidual tissue was measured and in vitro cultured endothelial were treated with NaCl to investigate the mechanisms for cell junction change.

HSD impairs the normal pregnancy-associated blood pressure adaptation. Cell junction in the endothelia undergo significant changes for the during the pregnancy adaptation. HSD induced more salt accumulation in the uteri and triggered the disturbed vascular endothelium cytoskeletal remodeling, which was associated impaired trophoblast cell invasion and incorporation into the vascular wall.

Our study identifies unique roles of decidual endothelium for pregnancy vascular remodeling, and demonstrates that HSD disrupts physiological spiral artery remodeling through endothelial maladaptation, which may concurrently induce systemic endothelial damage in maternal systemic vascular.