Abstract 136: Attenuation of Increased Blood Pressure by Chronic Estrogen Supplementation in Female IUGR Offspring at 12 months of Age is Associated With a Shift Towards ACE2

Low birth weight (LBW) women exhibit an earlier age at menopause and a two-fold greater prevalence of hypertension in later life. In a model of LBW induced via placental insufficiency in the rat, female LBW rats develop an increase in blood pressure (BP) by 12 months of age. This is associated with persistent estrous that occurs 6 months prior to controls, indicative of early reproductive senescence. Although the underlying mechanisms are unknown, a shift in the hormonal milieu in addition to dysregulation of the renin angiotensin system (RAS) are potential contributors to the increase in BP that occurs in women after menopause. The vasoconstrictor arm of the RAS is implicated in increased BP; ACE2 counterbalances this shift towards increased BP. We previously reported that renal ACE2 expression is elevated in female LBW rats that are normotensive in young adulthood; an increase that is not present in female LBW rats in later life. Thus, this study tested the hypothesis that chronic 17β-estradiol (E2) sup...