Sex-specific rat placental molecular responses to G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) activation.

Fetal sex-based differences in responses to treatments have been observed in many gestational diseases, including preeclampsia (PE). In this work, we evaluated whether there are fetal sex-based variations in response to stimulation of the G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER), a recently explored therapeutic target for PE. We compared the male and female fetal placental mRNA levels of PE biomarkers in response to GPER stimulation in reduced uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP) rats. The observed sex-dependent differences in response to GPER activation demonstrate the distinct regulatory mechanism that will help us develop sex-specific therapeutic approaches for PE.