Home › Preeclampsia › NCT06749418

Vascular Effects of High-Salt After Preeclampsia

Role of the Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Microvascular Endothelial Dysfunction After Preeclampsia

Who can join

Ages 18 to 45 · Women · Healthy volunteers welcome

Inclusion Criteria:

* women who had preeclampsia and women who did not have preeclampsia
* 12 weeks to 5 years postpartum
* 18-45 years old

Exclusion Criteria:

* history of hypertension or metabolic disease before pregnancy
* history of gestational diabetes
* history of gestational hypertension without preeclampsia
* skin diseases
* current tobacco use
* current antihypertensive medication
* statin or other cholesterol-lowering medication
* currently pregnant
* body mass index less than 18.5 kg/m2
* allergy to materials used during the experiment.(e.g. latex),
* known allergy to study drugs or salt-supplement

About the study

Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are more likely to develop and die of cardiovascular disease later in life, even if they are otherwise healthy. Importantly, women who had preeclampsia have an exaggerated vascular responsiveness to hypertensive stimuli, such as high-salt intake, compared to women who had a healthy pregnancy. The reason why this occurs is unclear but may be related to impaired endothelial function and dysregulation of the angiotensin system that occurs during the preeclamptic pregnancy and persists postpartum, despite the remission of clinical symptoms. While the association between a history of preeclampsia and vascular dysfunction leading to elevated CVD risk is well known, the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction remains unclear.

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of vascular mineralocorticoid receptor, the terminal receptor in the angiotensin system that contributes to blood pressure regulation, in mediating exaggerated microvascular endothelial dysfunction before and after a high-salt stimulus. This will help us better understand the mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction these women, and how inhibition of these receptors may improve microvascular function.

In this study, we use the blood vessels in the skin as a representative vascular bed for examining mechanisms of microvascular dysfunction in humans. Using a minimally invasive technique (intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of pharmaceutical agents) we examine the blood vessels in a nickel-sized area of the skin.

What is being tested

• Eplerenone (drug)

Sponsor: Anna Stanhewicz, PhD · Participants: 40 · Started: Jan 2, 2025

Contact the study team

• Kelsey Schwartz, PhD · Phone: 319-467-1732

Official record on ClinicalTrials.gov — NCT06749418

Locations in the U.S.

Conditions

• Preeclampsia

From ClinicalTrials.gov, data retrieved Sep 29, 2026. Each study sets its own eligibility; the study team decides who can join.