POSTER SESSION 2

Inthelastdecadesseveralinvestigatorshavesuggestedtheassociationofandrogenswithhypertension. Recently, some studies have shown that the incidence of cardiovascular diseases is increased in men with low testosterone levels, suggesting a protective role of androgens. Hypertension is one of the mostcommonproblemsinpregnancythatcomplicates5-10 %ofpregnancies.Anincreaseofmorbidity wasobservedinbabiesfrompregnantwomenwithhypertension.However,thepathogenesisremains unclearandthislimitstheabilitytopreventandtreatthispathology.Thebeneficialeffectsofandrogens for vascular system are associated with their ability to cause vasorelaxation. Inhuman vessels, this non genomiceffectofandrogensappeartobeduetoactivationoflargeconductancecalcium-activatedpotassiumchannels(BKCa)andvoltagegatedpotassiumchannels(KV)whichisinducedbycGMPincrease andaconsequentactivationofcGMP-dependentproteinkinase(PKG).Ontheotherhand,thegenomic effects of androgens concerning ionic channels are almost unknown. Our previous studies suggested that androgens increase the expression of BKCa channels and decrease expression of L-type calcium channels (LTCC). The aim of this work was to analyze the genomic effects of androgens on theexpressionofotherproteinsinvolvedintheregulationofvascularcontractility,suchassolubleguanylate cyclase (sGC), the natriuretic peptide receptor-A (NPRA) and PKG. This study also aimed to compare the expression levels of these proteins in human umbilical artery (HUA) from normotensive andhypertensivepregnantwomen.ToachievethesegoalsrealtimePCRwasperformedusingsmooth