VEGF and VEGF Receptor mRNA Expression are Not Decreased in the Hypoplastic Fetal Lung Due to Oligohydramnios

Abstract 352 Poster Session IV, Tuesday, 5/4 (poster 303)

Objectives: Oligohydramnios during pregnancy often results in significant pulmonary hypoplasia and is also associated with diminution of the pulmonary circulation. Angiogenesis of the circulation is stimulated by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which binds to two known tyrosine kinase receptors, VEGFR-1/Flt and VEGFR-2/Flk. However, little is known about the role of VEGF and its receptors during the abnormal fetal lung growth and vascularity seen in response to oligohydramnios. We hypothesized that decreases in lung growth and vascularity seen in oligohydramnios are due to decreased VEGF or VEGF receptor mRNA expression. Methods: We induced oligohydramnios on day 16 in 10 pregnant rat mothers. For half of the fetuses in each litter, the amniotic sacs were punctured and the amniotic fluid allowed to drain for the remainder of the pregnancy (O), sham-operated littermates were used as paired controls (C). We harvested the fetal lungs on day 19 (n=5) or day 21 (n=5), term = 21.5 days. We performed RT-PCR on mRNA using primers for VEGF, VEGFR-1/Flt and VEGFR-2/Flk. The results were normalized to β actin mRNA and converted to densitometric units. The data are mean ± sem and were compared by paired t-tests at each time point between O and C lungs, and by unpaired t-tests between time points for each O and C groups. Results: (Table)

Table 1 No caption available

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