The hypoxia of high‐altitude (HA) residence increases the risk of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia 3‐fold, augmenting perinatal morbidity and mortality and the risk for childhood and adult disease. Currently, no effective therapies exist to prevent these vascular disorders of pregnancy. The peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPAR‐γ) is an important regulator of uteroplacental vascular development and function and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of IUGR and preeclampsia. Here, we used a model of HA pregnancy in mice to determine whether hypoxia‐induced fetal growth restriction reduces placental PPAR‐γ protein expression and placental vascularization and, if so, to evaluate the effectiveness of the selective PPAR‐γ agonist pioglitazone (PIO) for preventing hypoxia‐induced IUGR. Hypoxia resulted in asymmetric IUGR, placental insufficiency, and reduced placental PPAR‐γ expression; PIO prevented approximately half of the fetal growth restriction and attenuated placental insufficiency. PIO did not affect fetal growth under normoxia. Although PIO was beneficial for fetal growth, PIO treatment reduced placental vascular density of the labrynthine zone in normoxic and hypoxic (Hx) conditions, and mean vascular area was reduced in the Hx group. Our results suggest that pharmacological PPAR‐γ activation is a potential strategy for preventing IUGR in pregnancies complicated by hypoxia, although further studies are needed to identify its likely metabolic or vascular mechanisms.—Lane, S. L., Dodson, R. B., Doyle, A. S., Park, H., Rathi, H., Matarrazo, C. J., Moore, L. G., Lorca, R. A., Wolf son, G. H. Julian, C. G. Pharmacological activation of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPAR‐γ) protects against hypoxia‐associated fetal growth restriction. FASEB J. 33, 8999–9007 (2019). http://www.fasebj.org

Incomplete maternal vascular responses to pregnancy contribute to pregnancy complications including intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and preeclampsia. We aimed to characterize maternal vascular dysfunction in a murine model of fetal growth restriction as an approach toward identifying targetable pathways for improving pregnancy outcomes. We utilized a murine model of late-gestation hypoxia-induced IUGR that reduced E18.5 fetal weight by 34%. Contrary to our hypothesis, uterine artery blood flow as measured in vivo by Doppler ultrasound was increased in mice housed under hypobaric hypoxia (385 mmHg; 5500 m) vs normoxia (760 mmHg; 0 m). Using wire myography, uterine arteries isolated from hypoxic mice had similar vasodilator responses to the two activators A769662 and acetylcholine as those from normoxic mice, although the contribution of an increase in nitric oxide production to uterine artery vasodilation was reduced in the hypoxic vs normoxic groups. Vasoconstrictor responses to phenylephrine and potassium chloride were unaltered by hypoxia. The levels of activated adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) were reduced with hypoxia in both the uterine artery and placenta as measured by western blot and immunohistochemistry. We concluded that the rise in uterine artery blood flow may be compensatory to hypoxia but was not sufficient to prevent fetal growth restriction. Although AMPK signaling was reduced by hypoxia, AMPK was still receptive to pharmacologic activation in the uterine arteries in which it was a potent vasodilator. Thus, AMPK activation may represent a new therapy for pregnancy complications involving reduced uteroplacental perfusion.

Key points Pregnancy at high altitude is associated with a greater incidence of fetal growth restriction due, in part, to lesser uterine artery blood flow. AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation vasodilates arteries and may increase uterine artery blood flow. In this study, pharmacological activation of AMPK by the drug AICAR improved fetal growth and elevated uterine artery blood flow. These results suggest that AMPK activation is a potential strategy for improving fetal growth and raising uterine artery blood flow in pregnancy, which may be important in pregnancy disorders characterized by uteroplacental ischaemia and/or fetal hypoxia. Abstract Uteroplacental hypoxia is associated with pregnancy disorders such as intrauterine growth restriction and preeclampsia, which are characterized by uteroplacental ischaemia and/or fetal hypoxia. Activation of AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) results in vasodilatation and is therefore a potential therapeutic strategy for restoring uteroplacental perfusion in pregnancy disorders. In this study, C57Bl/6 mice were treated with subcutaneous pellets containing vehicle, the AMPK activator AICAR (200 mg kg−1 day−1), or the AMPK inhibitor Compound C (20 mg kg−1 day−1) beginning on gestational day 13.5, and were exposed to hypoxia starting on gestational day 14.5 that induced intrauterine growth restriction. Pharmacological AMPK activation by AICAR partially prevented hypoxia‐induced fetal growth restriction (P < 0.01), due in part to increased uterine artery blood flow (P < 0.0001). The proportion of total cardiac output flowing through the uterine artery was increased with AICAR in hypoxic mice (P < 0.001), suggesting that the vasodilator effect of AICAR was selective for the uterine circulation. Further, pharmacological inhibition of AMPK with Compound C reduced uterine artery diameter and increased uterine artery contractility in normoxic mice, providing evidence that physiological levels of AMPK activation are necessary for vasodilatation in healthy pregnancy. Two‐way ANOVA analyses indicated that hypoxia reduced AMPK activation in the uterine artery and placenta, and AICAR increased AMPK activation in these tissues compared to vehicle. These findings provide support for further investigation into the utility of pharmacological AMPK activation for treatment of fetal growth restriction.

The environmental hypoxia of high altitude (HA) increases the incidence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) approximately threefold. The peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPAR‐γ), a ligand‐activated nuclear receptor that promotes vasorelaxation by increasing nitric oxide and downregulating endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) production, has been implicated in IUGR. Based on our prior work indicating that pharmacologic activation of the PPARγ pathway protects against hypoxia‐associated IUGR, we used an experimental murine model to determine whether such effects may be attributed to vasodilatory effects in the uteroplacental circulation. Using wire myography, ex vivo vasoreactivity studies were conducted in uterine arteries (UtA) isolated from pregnant mice exposed to hypoxia or normoxia from gestational day 14.5 to 18.5. Exposure to troglitazone, a high‐affinity PPARγ agonist‐induced vasorelaxation in UtA preconstricted with phenylephrine, with HA‐UtA showing increased sensitivity. Troglitazone blunted ET‐1‐induced contraction of UtA in hypoxic and normoxic dams equivalently. Immunohistological analysis revealed enhanced staining for ET‐1 receptors in the placental labyrinthine zone in hypoxic compared to normoxic dams. Our results suggest that pharmacologic PPAR‐γ activation, via its vasoactive properties, may protect the fetal growth under hypoxic conditions by improving uteroplacental perfusion and thereby justify further investigation into PPARγ as a therapeutic target for IUGR in pregnancies complicated by hypoxia.