Pregnancy-specific beta-1-glycoprotein 1-enriched exosomes involves in the regulation of maternal vascular endothelial function during pregnancy

Abstract

Abstract Background Pregnancy is a dynamic process associated with significant physiological changes in the cardiovascular system. It is well known that during pregnancy, the placenta secretes a variety of molecular signals, including of exosomes into the maternal circulation to adapt to increased blood volume and maintain blood pressure at normotensive levels. Results In the present study, we compared the effects of exosomes derived from peripheral blood serum of nonpregnant women (NP-Exo) and normal pregnant women (P-Exo) on endothelial cell function. We also analyzed the proteomic profiles of these two groups of exosomes and the molecular mechanisms underlying the effect of exosome cargoes on maternal vascular function. We found that P-Exo was positively involved in regulating the function of maternal vascular endothelial cells, promoting nitric oxide (NO) release and maintaining maternal blood pressure at normal levels. Furtherly, we revealed that trophoblast-derived pregnancy-specific beta-1-glycoprotein 1 (PSG1)-enriched exosomes treatment induced promotion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) proliferation and migration, as well as the release of NO. Moreover, we observed that treating mice with P-Exo induced the activation of renin-angiotensin system, although there was no significant change in blood pressure in mice. Conclusions These results strongly suggested that PSG1-enriched exosomes derived from maternal peripheral blood regulate the function of vascular endothelial cells and plays an important role in regulating maternal blood pressure during pregnancy.