Pregnancy hormones increase cardiac capillary density via the PGC-1α/ERRα/VEGF pathway in cardiomyocytes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pregnancy significantly affects the maternal cardiovascular system, with physiological adaptations characterized by cardiac hypertrophy and increased capillarization. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these adaptations remain incompletely understood. Therefore, we analyzed them in mouse hearts at different stages of pregnancy and after hormone treatment.

Methods

We analyzed cell proliferation, capillary density, hypertrophy, and gene expression using immunostaining and quantitative RT-PCR to evaluate differential gene expression in mouse hearts at different stages during pregnancy and after treatment with combinations of progesterone and estrogen for up to 14 days.

Results

We found that the number of proliferating cells in the hearts of pregnant

SUBMITTER: Hesse M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12558866 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature