Study on the Effect and Mechanism of Puerarin on Placenta Oxidative Stress in Rats with Preeclampsia Based on Gadd45α-p38MAPK Pathway

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of puerarin (Pue) on preeclampsia rats through Gadd45α-p38 MAPK pathway and its mechanism.METHODS Pregnant rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,Pue low-dose group,Pue high-dose group,and positive drug group.Except for the control group,the other groups received subcutaneous injection of L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) from the 7th day of pregnancy to induce preeclampsia.From the 14th day of pregnancy,Pue low-dose group and Pue high-dose group were injected intraperitoneally with Pue injection at 40,80 mg·kg^-1 respectively according to body weight,and the positive drug group was injected with magnesium sulfate intraperitoneally at 80 mg·kg^-1 according to body weight,the same amount of saline was injected intraperitoneally in control group and model group.Rats tail artery pressure and 24 h urine protein on 13th,17th,and 21st gestation days were measured.The weight of placenta and offspring were weighed,reactive oxygen species (ROS),malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) were detected.Western blotting was used to detect the expression of placental tissue-related proteins.Results Compared with the model group,17,21 d tail artery pressure and 24 h urine protein content,ROS and MDA levels in placental tissue decreased,placenta weight,NO levels in placental tissue increased,Gadd45α and p-p38MAPK protein expression in placental tissue decreased in Pue low-dose group,Pue high-dose group and positive drug group (P<0.05). Conclusion Pue has a hypotensive effect on preeclampsia rats,can reduce oxidative stress damage and improve related symptoms,and may play an effect by inhibiting Gadd45α/p38MAPK signaling pathway.