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Zsengellér Laboratory Overview

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Preeclampsia is a serious life-threatening complication during pregnancy, characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and in severe cases, eclampsia and premature birth.  It affects 5-7% of pregnancies. While the etiology and pathogenesis of PE are elusive, placental ischemia due to impaired placental development and subsequent release of anti-angiogenic factors are key components. Our discoveries on the root-causes of preeclampsia will bring us closer to treatments of a disease affecting many mothers and their babies.

Our lab utilizes physiologic principles to study cardiovascular function in preeclampsia disease in whole animal studies. The lab integrates the latest techniques in these disciplines to understand mechanisms of oxidative stress-mediated kidney, placental and vascular damage in this disease and possible treatment options to reverse ailment. The small molecules dual-function redox modulators and hydrazone-based antioxidants showed great results in preventing/reversing pre-eclampsia symptoms i.e. hypertension, kidney and placental dysfunction and maintaining healthy pregnancies in mouse models.