STARVATION-INDUCED OVINE TOXEMIA - A REEVALUATION

A syndrome of hypertension, proteinuria, thrombocytopenia and plasma p rostaglandin alterations similar to human preeclampsia has been report ed to be consistently induced by 72 hours of starvation in near-term t win-gestation ewes. To confirm this model, six mixed-Western and four Dorset twin gravid ewes of known gestation were prepared with fetal an d maternal intravascular catheters. Following recovery (132 days), foo d was removed from the ewes' cages for 72 to 96 hours. In response to starvation, there was no significant increase in mean arterial pressur e in either breed of sheep. Furthermore, there was no difference in th e maternal arterial blood pressure response to intravenous graded infu sions of angiotensin II (AII) (5, 10, and 25 ng/kg/min) prior to and f ollowing starvation of Dorset ewes. Maternal starvation did not result in fetal acidosis or hypoxia. The results suggest that hypertension a nd increased sensitivity to angiotensin II are not consistent findings in starved twin-bearing gravid ewes.