NCT06749418 · Anna Stanhewicz, PhD
Vascular Effects of High-Salt After Preeclampsia
What this study is about
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.
View original scientific description
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.
Interventions
DRUG
Eplerenone
Local heating: eplerenone is locally and acutely delivered to the cutaneous microvasculature during local heating of the skin to assess endothelium-dependent dilation, L-NAME is added to assess nitric oxide-dependent dilation during this response.
Primary outcome measures
Change in microvascular endothelial function following local eplerenone treatment compared to placebo treatment measured by laser-Doppler flowmetry
Time frame: Day 3 (low-salt diet run in) and Day 10 (low-salt diet + high-salt supplement)
Cutaneous vascular vasodilator response (cutaneous conductance; %max) to local heating of the skin; intradermal microdialysis for the local delivery of eplerenone compared to control (Ringer's solution), followed by L-NAME infusion to quantify NO-dependent response
Changes in 24-hour urine sodium
Time frame: Day 2, Day 9
The investigators will measure urine sodium to ensure differences in salt-take between low- and high-salt.
Who can participate
This study lists these criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov. A study coordinator reviews eligibility during screening — this page does not determine whether you qualify.
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
Where
- Iowa City, Iowa
Related conditions & keywords
Frequently asked questions
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Will I receive a placebo instead of treatment?
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Data: ClinicalTrials.gov · synced Feb 13, 2026 · Source of record for eligibility and locations