Loss of endothelial cell Gch1 and BH4 lead to progressive hypertension during pregnancy.
Consistent with our previous reports (Chuaiphichai et al., 2021), we observed a small but significant increase in basal systolic blood pressure (~5-7 mmHg) in Gch1fl/fl Tie2cre mice compared with wild-type littermates (WT: 103 ± 2 mmHg, vsGch1fl/fl Tie2cre mice: 110 ± 1 mmHg,P <0.05, n=6; Figure 1A). In wild type mice, systolic blood pressure was unchanged during pregnancy (baseline WT: 103 ± 2 mmHg, vs pregnant WT: 103 ± 3 mmHg, n=6; Figure 1A). In contrast, loss of endothelial cell Gch1 resulted in a significantly marked increase (~24 mmHg) in systolic blood pressure in later pregnancy in Gch1fl/fl Tie2cre (Figure 1A).