Diabetes, Vol 39, Issue 6 743-746, Copyright © 1990 by American Diabetes Association
Uteroplacental hemodynamic disturbances in establishment of fetal growth retardation in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats
NC Chartrel, MT Clabaut, FA Boismare and JC Schrub
Laboratory of Feto-Maternal Physiopathology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Rouen, Mont-Saint-Aignan, France.
This study examined the relationship between uteroplacental blood flow and
fetal hypotrophy in streptozocin-induced diabetic rats (40 mg/kg body wt
i.v.). Our results showed that, in diabetic rats, fetal hypotrophy was
associated with a significant reduction in arterial blood velocity in the
uterine artery (P less than 0.001), placenta (P less than 0.01), umbilical
artery (P less than 0.01), and fetal aorta (P less than 0.05). This was not
observed when diabetic rats were treated with insulin. Treatment of rats
with the alpha 1-blocking vasodilator nicergoline restored fetal growth and
arterial blood velocity to control values without affecting the degree of
hyperglycemia. Nicergoline in control rats did not change fetal weight and
caused only minor hemodynamic changes on presumably already maximally
vasodilated arteries. We concluded that the uteroplacental hemodynamic
disturbances observed in diabetic rats play a major role in the
establishment of fetal growth retardation.