Maternal calcium intake during pregnancy and its impact on offspring blood pressure: identifying the optimal rat strain for mechanistic studies

Abstract

Arterial hypertension is a major risk for disability and death globally. Hypertension is influenced by genetics, epigenetics and environmental factors. An inverse association between calcium intake and high blood pressure (BP) has been widely described. Several works have demonstrated that maternal calcium deficiency during pregnancy can lead to increased BP in offspring, highlighting the importance of maternal nutrition in foetal programming. Therefore, the aim of this review is to identify the most suitable rat strain for studying the effects of maternal calcium intake during pregnancy on offspring BP in adulthood. The literature search found articles involving Wistar, Sprague Dawley, and Wistar Kyoto rat strains. These strains are appropriate models for investigating the relationship between calcium intake and BP in normotensive rats. However, there is little evidence on the effects of calcium intake during pregnancy on offspring BP, suggesting the need of further research to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.