Maternal cardiometabolic dysfunction and fetal sex-specific alterations to uterine vascular reactivity in an ovine model of diet-induced obesity during pregnancy

Abstract Obesity during pregnancy is at pandemic proportions and predisposes women to pre- and postnatal cardiovascular dysfunction. The mechanisms underlying this maternal cardiovascular vulnerability remain unclear, partly due to a lack of translatable models capable of longitudinal in vivo cardiovascular monitoring. Here, we characterise a novel ovine model of maternal diet-induced obesity during pregnancy. Ewes were fed a control (CON) or obesogenic (OB; ad libitum concentrates) diet for 60 days pre-pregnancy and throughout gestation. Pregnant ewes were surgically instrumented with vascular catheters and Transonic flow probes using the wireless CamDAS system, which measured maternal cardiovascular function near term in free-moving ewes. Uterine artery vasoreactivity was assessed ex vivo by in vitro wire myography. OB ewes entered pregnancy 30% heavier than controls ( P