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Updated: Oct 6, 2026

Simultaneous Electrocardiography Recording and Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Rats
Published on: January 31, 2019
Inverse relationship between the circulating plasma autotaxin activity and blood pressure in normal pregnant rats
Miho Tanaka1, Ryota Terashima1, Muneyoshi Okada2
1Laboratories of Veterinary Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Kitasato University.
Abstract:
Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted lysophospholipase D that generates lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). We investigated circulating ATX activity and blood pressure (BP) in rats throughout pregnancy. Systolic BP gradually decreased after gestational day 15, reached a nadir on day 21, and rebounded on day 1 postpartum. Conversely, plasma ATX activity rose from day 12 through days 19-21 and declined thereafter. A bolus intravenous LPA injection on day 21 significantly increased BP. Although a single anti-ATX serum injection on day 21 showed little acute effect, continuous administration via osmotic mini-pump from day 18 significantly delayed the late-gestational BP drop. These results demonstrate a novel inverse relationship between circulating ATX activity and BP in late-pregnant rats.
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