Astragaloside IV ameliorates preeclampsia-induced oxidative stress through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in a rat model

Preeclampsia (PE) can cause serious health problems for pregnant women and their infants. Astragaloside IV has been shown to exert cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative effects on various disorders. We aimed to study the effects of Astragaloside IV on PE symptoms using an NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)-induced rat model of PE. The pregnant rats' physiological features, including blood pressure, urine protein, serum soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio, and weight of placenta, as well as the weight, length, and survival of pups, were documented. The expression levels of target genes were analyzed by Western blot and qRT-PCR assays. The levels of target secreted proteins were determined by ELISA. We demonstrated that the administration of Astragaloside IV might exert a multitude of beneficial effects on attenuated PE symptoms in a rat model of PE. We further revealed that the effects of Astragaloside IV on PE rats were achieved, at least partially, through elimination of oxidative stress and stimulation of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling pathway. Our study indicated that Astragaloside IV may serve as a promising candidate for the development of new therapeutic methods for patients with PE.